Texas A&M's huge win over the LSU Tigers in Baton Rouge moves the Aggies to 8-0 this week, their best record since the 1992 season under RC Slocum. Not only that, but it breaks a 30-year drought where they had not won down on the Bayou in an emphatic fashion, showing that this truly is a team that is a contender for the national title.
That said, though, when you rise all the way to no. 3 in the nation, it can be hard to shake other teams off their spot ahead of you. The Aggies currently trail two Big 10 teams in Ohio State and Indiana— the Buckeyes were idle this week, and the Hoosiers took UCLA to the woodshed in their game.
However, there's still a chance that the Aggies could move up into the top two if everything goes right. Some results from around the country could see Texas A&M move up and challenge for a top-two spot.
AP Poll projection: Can Texas A&M move up into top two after dominant win in Death Valley?
The Aggies were fewer than one hundred points behind the Hoosiers in last week's poll, and just about 150 points behind the Ohio State Buckeyes. While that's not exactly an easy deficit for the Aggies to make up, there are a few things working in their favor.
First and most obvious is their huge win over the Tigers. The emphatic nature of A&M's victory, the fact that it was at night in Death Valley, and the commentators mentioning just how big of a threat the Aggies are will all help raise their public perception.
The other thing is the fact that no. 4 Alabama nearly got upset by South Carolina last night. This was a team that was put ahead of the Aggies by more than a couple of pollsters, only being behind the Aggies by about 30 points in the poll. Them declining a little bit in estimation means the Aggies will probably supplant them in those submissions.
All that said, I'm not sure there will be enough of a groundswell to move Texas A&M ahead of these other squads. I think we see Texas A&M close the gap a little bit here, but ultimately, I think they stay at 3rd.