Sporting News lists Texas A&M Football team among the nation’s elite

The Texas A&M Football team, despite a few injuries, is one of the best teams in the country. The Aggies began the year as the sixth-ranked team in college football before getting a small bump to the five spot. They’d drop down to seven after a close win at Colorado and an injury to their starting quarterback.

The truth is still evident — the Texas A&M Football team is a contending squad. Most media outlets will agree that a close win under abnormal circumstances won’t change that. One, in particular, proved that they still feel A&M is a contender.

Sporting News released their College Football Playoff Picture for Week 3. The list didn’t include any huge surprises, but the media outlet broke down each contender into tiers, giving an interesting look into each team’s chances.

The Texas A&M Football team is one notch below being elite, according to Sporting News

The first tier listed by Bill Bender features a 2-0 Alabama team and nobody else. The tier is simply called “Alabama.” At this point, it seems abundantly clear that the drastic roster changes on the offensive end have had little to no effect on Nick Saban. Here’s why they listed ‘Bama in a tier of their own.

"The Crimson Tide get their own grouping after an impressive two-week stretch in which they average 46 points per game with new quarterback Bryce Young, who has a 180.1 passer rating.  Everybody say it together now: “The season doesn’t start until Alabama loses.”"

Below the Tide, you’ll see a list of teams that are securely “in the driver’s seat,” according to Sporting News. This tier includes two obvious choices in Georgia and Oregon, both of whom have top ten wins on their resume already. The third team in Oklahoma is a bit more of a question mark, especially considering their Week 1 scare against Tulane, but they made their way into this tier regardless.

Below that, Tier 3 features two teams that already have losses on their resume but remain in the driver’s seat. This level is appropriately titled “win out, and you’re in,” though it’s easy to see a world where this doesn’t come true for one team or the other.

At this point, many fans would have expected to see Texas A&M. They’d have to wait until Tier 4 though.

The next tier seems to list a cluster of teams that simply don’t fit any of the other groups. This includes Iowa, Cincinnati, Texas A&M, Florida, Penn State, and Notre Dame, all teams that could easily sneak into a playoff spot. Here’s what Bender said about these teams.

"Notre Dame, Texas A&M and Florida all have varying levels of quarterback unease. The Gators can make the biggest statement of this bunch by beating Alabama on Saturday; something they haven’t done since 2008. The Aggies will get their chance on Oct. 9."

At full strength, the Texas A&M Football team has to be considered the best among that group of teams. The Aggies knocked out Florida last season and Notre Dame hasn’t proven that they can content consistently. Meanwhile, Penn State, Cincinnati, and Iowa haven’t done much of substance in years. In all likelihood, A&M was grouped with these teams as a response to their current quarterback situation.

At the end of the day, these lists don’t mean much. The Aggies will try to prove that they can join the upper tiers of teams that are in the driver’s seat.