Texas A&M football fans were not exactly thrilled that the CFP committee placed the Aggies down at third in the nation in the initial rankings, released tonight, as it felt like a bit of a rug-pull after the promises of the offseason. Things didn't get a whole lot better when they came on to defend their rankings, either: Baylor AD Mack Rhoades made very little sense when discussing the Aggies' ranking relative to Indiana and Ohio State.
What it basically boiled down to, though, was that he and others in the room didn't believe in the Aggies as an elite defense. He was very complimentary of the Ohio State and Indiana defenses, saying those were a separator for those two teams relative to the Aggies.
That's a shot at this team, without a doubt. That's a shot at Mike Elko, one of the brightest defensive minds and most well-respected coaches on that side fo the ball in the entire nation. If you think this Aggie team was playing with a chip on its shoulder before this, I have a feeling that we're going to see it taken to another level here down the stretch.
CFP committee's slight at Texas A&M will make Aggies defensive monster in stretch run
Let's call a spade a spade: this Aggie defense has been caught at times not playing the hardest that they could have— that's a lot of what bit them against Arkansas. But when they're on point, this is a defense that almost no one in the country can measure up to.
The viral clip of Cashius Howell against the LSU Tigers exemplifies exactly what I'm talking about. This squad, when they have a fire under them and are getting in the opponent's face, can't be matched by any other unit across America save maybe one.
The committee making clear that they don't consider the Aggies, who have been positively deadly when it comes to the most impactful aspects of the game, as an elite unit should light a fire not only under the players, but under the head man himself. Elko is a competitor to the core, and I have no doubt that he's heard this noise and will lead this defense, showing the nation just how dominant they can be, down the stretch.