Reacting to Texas A&M Football Disgracefully Being Left Out of the AP Poll

Texas A&M Football Disgracefully Excluded from AP Poll

I like to consider myself a reasonable man when it comes to Texas A&M football. A bit grandiose at times? A bit optimistic? Perhaps. Okay, definitely.

However, this is absurd. The Aggies should be ranked.

I know why they’re not. I get it. They’ve had two straight 11 AM games—both of which saw the peak of the Aggies’ performances occur later in the game, where prospective voters might have already tuned out in favor of viewing other matchups. Looking at the final scores doesn’t quite tell the full story in those games, either; the defensive domination, especially, does not come across, since both games saw a defensive score by the opponent. I’m willing to bet that for the majority of voters and general college football fans, they watched the Miami game, threw up their hands, said “same old A&M!” and haven’t watched a lick of Texas A&M football since, apart from perhaps a few snaps in the Auburn game since it came on right after Gameday.

I get that this is not the be-all-end-all of team quality. The criteria for each voter is wildly different and generally amounts to a nebulous and selective combination of power ratings and resume ratings within each person’s own mind.

But leaving LSU in? 3-2 LSU? And excluding the Aggies? That makes no sense.

Even if those two losses are to ranked teams… So is Texas A&M football’s one loss. Compare common opponents: LSU trailed Arkansas for most of their game and barely won by three at home. The Aggies destroyed the Hogs at a neutral site, allowing fewer than 200 yards and scoring the exact same number as the Tigers. So are huge wins over Grambling and MSU more impressive than huge wins over UNM, ULM, and Auburn? Specifically, are those wins enough to controvert the evidence we have given the common opponent between the Aggies and Tigers—especially given that that common opponent had a key offensive player against the Aggies that they didn’t against LSU, but the Aggies far outclassed their performance anyway?

The clear answer is “no.” LSU should not be ranked ahead of Texas A&M football. But you know what else? That doesn’t really matter. It’s a week 5 ranking. But it does get on my nerves a little bit, especially when an extremely reputable source just ranked the Aggies as the best team in the SEC West.