Texas A&M given prime place on ESPN SEC power rankings, but not enough for playoff

Texas A&M football is a team lurking behind the scenes a little bit in the buildup to the season, but they are a squad that can challenge for a playoff berth if things fall correctly. With a returning QB, HC, OC, DC, and a huge amount of talent coming back all over the roster, this is quite the veteran Aggie squad, and one that can make a lot of noise late in the year.

That said, though, they're being slept on by most in the national media. Many are not quite sure where to slot them, as the lack of star power readily apparent on the roster has some outlets unsure of putting them in the top echelon, but clearly the experience is more than enough to have them out of the conference basement.

The first SEC power rankings from ESPN of the season, released today, has the Aggies just below where they want to be for the upcoming year, but still shows the growing respect for A&M nationally. Hopefully, though, they keep moving up as these are released.

Texas A&M comes in fifth in preseason SEC power rankings per ESPN

The Aggies are the fifth overall team in the conference per the worldwide leader, a spot that likely won't shift very much until their showdown with Notre Dame— for better or for worse.

Even so, there's some cautious optimism from ESPN in their article. They call the Aggies a "CFP darkhorse" if they can figure out the defense— which history tells us they no doubt will, thanks to Elko's greater involvement.

It's that improvement that could buoy the Aggies to a huge season. They need to make some noise in big games, which they were unable to do down the stretch of last year, and maybe steal a win or two on the road to do so, but this is an Aggie team that is more than capable of doing just that.