Texas A&M (8-3, 5-2 SEC) will finish the 2024 regular season with everything on the line against No. 3 Texas, as the renewed Lone Star Showdown isn’t just about team pride with a trip to the SEC Championship Game on the line.
After A&M’s disappointing quadruple overtime loss on the road against the Auburn Tigers, running back Amari Daniels’s endzone drop to tie the game seemingly ended the Aggies’ dreams of making the College Football Playoff. However, these dreams remain intact, thanks to Alabama’s shocking road loss to Oklahoma.
On Monday, Aggies’ head coach Mike Elko, who has never personally experienced the Lone Star Showdown, not only understands the postseason implications but how much this game means to both universities.
“When you have two programs as large as these two programs are as close to each other as they are, it doesn’t make a ton of sense for them not to play.”
“To finally be playing and to be playing for what we’re playing for, it’ll be pretty electric on Saturday.”
After losing to Auburn, Texas A&M unsurprisingly dropped to No. 20 in the AP Top 25 Poll. And ahead of Tuesday’s College Football Playoff reveal, the Aggies will likely end up in that area while still fully controlling their CFP destiny.
Here is everything you need to know after the first CFP Playoff reveal:
College Football Playoff bracket: Who’s in, who’s out:
- 12-seed Arizona State vs. 5-seed Ohio State: Winner plays 4-seed Boise State
- 9-seed Tennessee vs. 8-seed Georgia: Winner plays 1-seed Oregon
- 11-seed Indiana vs. 6-seed Penn State: Winner plays 3-seed Miami
- 10-seed SMU vs. 7-seed Notre Dame: Winner plays 2-seed Texas
Latest CFP rankings:
- Oregon (11-0)
- Ohio State (10-1)
- Texas (10-1)
- Penn State (10-1)
- Notre Dame (10-1)
- Miami (10-1)
- Georgia (9-2)
- Tennessee (9-2)
- SMU (10-1)
- Indiana (10-1)
- Boise State (10-1)
- Clemson (9-2)
- Alabama (8-3)
- Ole Miss (8-3)
- South Carolina (8-3)
- Arizona State (9-2)
- Tulane (9-2)
- Iowa State (9-2)
- BYU (9-2)
- Texas A&M (8-3)
- Missouri (8-3)
- UNLV (9-2)
- Illinois (8-3)
- Kansas State(8-3)
- Colorado (8-3)
Texas A&M’s projected CFP opponent
Texas A&M’s newest CFP rankings mirror the Aggies’ AP Poll ranking at No. 20, as head coach Mike Elko’s message to his team is clear: Win against Texas and defeat Georgia in the SEC Championship and earn a spot in the playoff. No more, no less.
How many teams are in College Football Playoff 2024?
For the first time, 12 teams will participate in the College Football Playoffs. Five automatic bids will go to each of the Power Four conference champions and one to the highest-ranked Group of Five champion. The remaining seven slots will go to the seven at-large teams.
When next College Football Playoff rankings come out
- Tuesday, Nov. 12: 8:30 p.m. ET
- Tuesday, Nov. 19: 7 p.m. ET
- Tuesday, Nov. 26: 8 p.m. ET
- Tuesday, Dec. 3: 7 p.m. ET
- Sunday, Dec. 8: Noon ET
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