Texas A&M (8-2, 5-1 SEC) and first-year head coach Mike Elko have continued to defy preseason expectations. The Aggies are two wins away from reaching the SEC Championship Game for the first time in program history, but that’s a tall task with a road trip to Auburn and the season finale home test vs. Texas left on the schedule.
After defeating New Mexico State 38-3, Texas A&M’s offense made some strides in the passing game, while redshirt freshman quarterback Marcel Reed finished 20/31 for 286 yards and two touchdowns, rushing for another score.
Defensively, junior DL Malick Sylla, in just his second statistical appearance this season, recorded a game-high two sacks and three tackles for loss. At the same time, sophomore DL Rylan Kennedy earned the highest defensive Pro Football Focus score.
Ahead of facing Auburn, ESPN’s Football Power Index update saw the Aggies rise one spot, while the Auburn Tigers and Florida Gators also rose in the rankings.
Texas A&M football’s FPI ranking, rating
According to ESPN’s Football Power Index, Texas A&M rose to No. 14 after defeating New Mexico State, with a 14.4 FPI rating, the seventh-highest among SEC teams. The Aggies are projected to win 8.8 games and have a 2.8% chance of winning out. Sitting at 8-2 and 5-1, A&M currently has a 12.5% chance of making the playoffs and a 1.1% chance of making the National Championship game.
SEC team in FPI
The top-ranked SEC teams in the upper echelon of the rankings include Texas (26.7), followed by Alabama (2nd, 26.6), Georgia (23.0) at 5th, Ole Miss (22.4) at 6th, and Tennessee (19.3) in the 9th spot.
South Carolina rose one spot (14.5) after defeating Missouri, while LSU (13.1) dropped three spots after falling to Florida on the road in a College Football Playoff elimination game. Here is the rest of the SEC rankings:
- Missouri (24th, 11.0)
- Florida (26th, 10.5)
- Oklahoma (27th, 10.3)
- Auburn (28th, 9.1)
- Arkansas (32nd, 8.3)
- Vanderbilt (38th, 6.6)
- Mississippi State (69th, -0.0)
Texas A&M will face Auburn on the road on Saturday, Nov. 23 at 6:30 pm. CT. The game will air on ESPN.
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