The Texas A&M football team is one of the more controversial names in the College Football Playoff race. The Aggies lost two early games to teams that are now unranked but have bounced back to a winning streak, including a victory over No. 1 Alabama.
But the Aggies’ eventual positioning in the CFP Rankings was up for debate — nobody knew where they’d land.
On Tuesday night, we got an answer to that question.
The Texas A&M football team landed at the 14th spot in the first CFP Rankings
Realistically speaking, the Aggies could have landed anywhere between the top ten and the low teens — with two losses, anything was on the table. The Aggies have a very low floor and an extremely high ceiling.
The Aggies’ low floor was on display in back-to-back losses to Arkansas and Mississippi State, two teams that do not look like threats in the SEC. That said, the Aggies have blown the doors off of every opponent they’ve played since this two-loss streak.
This included a dominating win against Alabama where an Aggie offense that looked unable to put together a touchdown drive dropped 41 points against the Crimson Tide. The argument for the Aggies in the top-10 was on the basis that the committee would value this win highly. It’s obvious that they did not.
It was clear that the committee focused more on their losses than wins, ranking the Aggies at the 14th spot in the rankings. While the argument could certainly be made for Texas A&M being higher in these rankings, it’s hard to complain about their positioning as things stand.
Auburn, who sits one spot ahead of the Aggies in the AP Poll, found themself in the 13th spot. Ole Miss was three spots lower at the 16th spot. At the very least, these rankings are consistent.
You have to assume that the College Football Playoff committee simply wants to wait things out, as Texas A&M will face both of the other 6-2 teams in the conference in Auburn and Ole Miss in the upcoming weeks.
One thing has become abundantly clear at this point — if the Texas A&M football team wants to make the College Football Playoff, they have to find a way to Atlanta. Winning the SEC Championship is the only way the Aggies can move up in the committee’s eyes.