On Tuesday, the first official college football top-25 poll was released. The Coaches Poll landed the Texas A&M Football team at the 6th spot, which is arguably the least surprising position imaginable — at least on the surface.
Somehow, Texas A&M has maintained this position since the beginning of the offseason, landing in that position dating all the way back to January. If nothing else, the Aggies have been consistent in the offseason, which should be viewed as a positive.
Surprisingly, however, A&M finds itself as the third-highest ranked SEC team behind both Alabama and Georgia, both of whom have some significant replacements to make on each side of the ball.
Why is the Texas A&M Football team behind Georgia in the coaches’ poll?
Granted, the coaches poll doesn’t mean much but if you’re an Aggie fan, you have to be wondering one thing — how did Georgia sneak ahead of Texas A&M in this poll?
While you could argue that Texas A&M’s replacements on the offensive end could be extremely detrimental to their success next season, the Georgia Bulldogs have equally difficult replacements to make on the defensive side of the ball. Granted, the Bulldogs have more talent than any school not named Alabama, but still — what have they done to prove this ranking?
In short, nothing.
I’d go so far as to claim that Texas A&M’s 2020-21 season was a better year than any of Georgia’s under Kirby Smart barring their College Football Playoff National Championship game appearance. Even that happened over four years ago, so nearly every player from that squad is off of their roster.
If anything, Georgia got the nod because they have a reputation of being a competitive team in the SEC. Realistically speaking, there’s no reason that anybody could give to support the fact that the Bulldogs are ranked a spot above Jimbo Fisher’s Aggies.
The Bulldogs have finished the last four seasons ranked in the top-7, which is an accolade that Texas A&M cannot claim. That said, the Aggies are coming off of a 9-win season, where their only loss came to the eventual national champion Alabama Crimson Tide. If momentum is a factor, and it should be, the Maroon and White should be the second-highest-ranked SEC team on this list.
That said, their ranking as the third-best SEC team could give them a much-needed chip on their shoulder. We can only hope that this team shoots for another College Football Playoff season in 2021-22.