Texas A&M (6-1, 4-0 SEC) is off the program’s best start in SEC play since entering the conference at the start of the 2012 season, as the Aggies have reeled off six consecutive wins after defeating Mississippi State 34-24 on in Week 8.
While it wasn’t pretty for most of the game, Texas A&M’s defense tightened things up in the second half, shutting down Mississippi State’s defense to less than 100 yards, and freshman quarterback Michael Van Buren shredded the Aggies’ secondary through the air in the first half.
A win is a win, but Aggies’ starting quarterback, Conner Weigman, needs to slow things down and get back to better footwork and decision-making before Texas A&M hosts LSU next Saturday.
Around the rest of the SEC, the then-No. 1-ranked Texas Longhorns sustained their first loss of the year against Georgia, who looked like the Bulldogs team that won two out of the last three National Championships, especially on defense.
Alabama lost its second game of the year after falling late on the road to Tennessee, while Vanderbilt earned its fifth win of the year in a close home victory against Ball State.
With the Longhorns’ loss, here is the updated US LBM Coaches Top 25 poll after Week 8:
| Rank | Team | Record | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oregon | 7-0 | 1,323 (51) |
| 2 | Georgia | 6-1 | 1,238 (2) |
| 3 | Penn State | 6-0 | 1,197 |
| 4 | Ohio State | 5-1 | 1,107 |
| 5 | Miami (FL) | 7-0 | 1,087 |
| 6 | Texas | 6-1 | 1,082 |
| 7 | LSU | 6-1 | 946 |
| 8 | Tennessee | 6-1 | 916 |
| 9 | Clemson | 6-1 | 907 |
| 10 | Iowa State | 7-0 | 829 |
| 11 | Notre Dame | 6-1 | 809 |
| 12 | BYU | 7-0 | 740 |
| 13 | Indiana | 7-0 | 651 |
| 14 | Texas A&M | 6-1 | 641 |
| 15 | Alabama | 5-2 | 554 |
| 16 | Kansas State | 6-1 | 488 |
| 17 | Missouri | 6-1 | 486 |
| 18 | Ole Miss | 5-2 | 444 |
| 19 | Boise State | 5-1 | 379 |
| 20 | Pittsburgh | 6-0 | 359 |
| 21 | Illinois | 6-1 | 347 |
| 22 | SMU | 6-1 | 249 |
| 23 | Army | 7-0 | 185 |
| 24 | Navy | 6-0 | 115 |
| 25 | Vanderbilt | 5-2 | 37 |
Schools Dropped Out
No. 22 Michigan; No. 25 Nebraska;
Others Receiving Votes
UNLV 28; Syracuse 27; Washington State 25; Duke 7; Memphis 6; Liberty 6; Wisconsin 3; Tulane 3; Cincinnati 2; Nebraska 1; Arizona State 1
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