Texas A&M football is already getting playoff buzz after knocking off the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in what was not only the biggest game of Mike Elko's tenure, but one of the wildest games you'll ever see.
The first piece of the playoff implications here is pretty obvious: the Fighting Irish will have a very long row to hoe in order to get back in the mix for the 12-team field this year. Starting 0-2 with a rather weak schedule is a really tough look for last year's national runners-up, but these were two of the best teams they'll face off with this season, in all fairness.
But let's talk about what this means for the Aggies. Texas A&M still has nine games left on this schedule, eight of which will be tough (sorry, Samford). That starts after the bye with Auburn (who may or may not be ranked, depending on what happens in Norman next week) and then Mississippi State, who just keeps ascending in estimation.
Playoff implications for Texas A&M football abound after huge win over Notre Dame
The main points of concern, though, are the Aggies' road contests against LSU and Texas. Those are by far the hardest games left for Texas A&M (at least, it looks that way right now, but both teams have struggled mightily on offense in these first few weeks), though going to Missouri doesn't look like it'll be a cakewalk either— same with Arkansas.
Texas A&M needs to get to 10-2 somehow, some way, if they want to be in this conversation. That's pretty much the bottom line. I think they'll be favored in at least seven of their remaining games, barring some injury issue coming up, but the Aggies have lost plenty of games in which they've been favored, so that only means so much.
At 9-3, they'll be in the conversation, if not a favorite. This Notre Dame win will do wonders for them, as though the Irish are currently 0-2, they'll be hanging around the rankings for the majority of the year barring something unexpected happening.
In short, this vaults Texas A&M from a fringe playoff contender right into the middle of the discussion, something we're already seeing happen around the country. It's time to take this bye week, recuperate, and deliver in this last piece of the season.