Texas A&M stayed undefeated this weekend with a dominant win over the Florida Gators, winning by a 34-17 mark. That was not the case for several other top-six teams, as both Oklahoma and Oregon fell in their games to conference opponents— and no. 4 Ole Miss barely avoided a huge upset from the Washington State Cougars, beating them by only three.
That’s enough for the Aggies to move up at least one spot, all else being equal, but things are a little more complicated than just that. One of the chief things is that the team that knocked off no. 3 Oregon was the 7th-ranked Indiana Hoosiers. That means that Indiana could well jump the Aggies by the time the poll comes out, being given credit for their big road win.
Of course, the Aggies have a big time road win as well over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish— but at this point in the season, a win over Oregon will probably be seen as more impressive. That’e even though the Ducks’ resume is looking more and more questionable, especially given that their big win— Penn State— now looks a lot worse.
How high will Texas A&M rise after huge victory over Florida keeps them afloat amid upsets?
The other thing is that the Ole Miss Rebels could fall below the Aggies after their showing against Washington State. This is a Wazzu team that lost to North Texas by 49 points, and Ole Miss only won by three points over the Cougars.
That’s not a loss, obviously, but the Aggies’ point total in the last AP Poll was actually quite close to that of the Rebels in the last poll, so it could be enough to put them over the top. Add in the fact that the Sooners won’t be splitting votes what with their loss, and it makes it even more likely.
I’m going to say that Indiana will rise thanks to their big win, but A&M will as well. I’ll say that enough voters were impressed with the Hoosiers’ performance against Oregon to lift them into the top three, but I’ve got the Aggies rounding out the top four in this upcoming poll.