Reacting to Texas A&M football’s placement in preseason Coaches’ Poll

Texas A&M football places 20th in preseason Coaches’ Poll; Is that too low for the Aggies?

If you were still somehow unaware of just how close the season has drawn for Texas A&M football, we are now bumping right up against the release of the official preseason polls. The US LBM Coaches’ Poll was released today, in fact, and the Aggies look to have made the cut.

The Aggies were a regular presence in the top 25 for much of Jimbo Fisher’s tenure until the final two years. Three out of his first four seasons, the Ags were ranked nearly every week, though thanks to a dropoff at the end of 2021, A&M finished that year outside of the poll.

It’s a sign of faith in Mike Elko and company, therefore, that the Ags are ranked in this initial release of the Coaches’ Poll. Texas A&M began last year outside the top 25 before poking their head in pre-Miami; after that debacle, though, the Ags never returned. Under new management, though, it appears that the Aggies are once again building up some goodwill.

Texas A&M football is ranked 20th in the initial top 25 rankings from the Coaches’ Poll.

This is a good sight higher than where we’ve seen the Aggies in other preseason rankings. However, advanced rating systems have them even higher than this: Bill Connelly’s SP+ system, for example, has the Ags up at 13th.

That said, I don’t think this is an unfair ranking for the Aggies. Given the fact that this usually functions as a combination of a power ranking and a resume ranking, the Aggies still have to prove a little bit more before they’ll be given the benefit of the doubt.

You can bet, though, that if the Aggies defeat no. 7 Notre Dame in week 1, they’ll shoot right up these rankings. The Irish are a highly-regarded team in the preseason, and they’ll be bringing a lot of cache into Kyle Field—especially on the defensive end. You can bet Mike Elko and the Aggies will be ready for the challenge.