Reacting to Texas A&M Football’s Placement in Preseason AP Poll

The season is less than three weeks from starting for Texas A&M football, and excitement is building. Many Aggie fans are eager to erase the painful memory of the 2022 season and move along to brighter days. Even with the blemish of a 5-7 record so recent on their ledger, it looks like national writers do indeed expect the Aggies to bounce back. Reflecting this expectation is the preseason AP poll that just released, where the Aggies come in ranked 23rd.

There was some question as to whether this Texas A&M football squad would be ranked due, if nothing else, to last year’s ignominious record and the mythical “transfer portal exodus” that never really materialized. Voters are much more cautious about the Aggies this year than last preseason, clearly, as the Aggies began 2022 6th in the nation.

For some Texas A&M football fans, however, this ranking may not be seen as a positive. There is a certain contingent that considers being doubted and slept on to be preferable to this measured approach that voters seem to have taken. In either case, time will tell just how high these Aggies can climb.

Other placements of note for the Aggies are division foes Ole Miss right above the Maroon and White at 22, LSU at 5th in the nation, and Alabama 4th. Many voters consider the Tigers the favorite in the SEC West, but not enough to defeat the cache that Alabama has (deservedly) built up over years of excellence. The Tide-Tigers matchup will be one of the most anticipated of the fall. The Rebels come in with a lot of questions, but Kiffin has built up a reputation with his offensive prowess, and outstanding sophomore RB Quinshon Judkins is the real deal.

The Aggies don’t face any (at this point) ranked opponents until they host Alabama in week 6. Depending on how teams like Auburn and Arkansas (both low on the “also receiving votes” tally but nevertheless present) start off the season, that could change, however.