Texas A&M (8-3, 5-2 SEC) took a tumble in the rankings after falling to Auburn in quadruple overtime. Still, due to Alabama’s shocking loss to Oklahoma, the Aggies are just one win against the Texas Longhorns away from making it to the SEC Championship for the first time in program history.
However, that’s a much tougher ask after what we saw on Saturday night, as A&M had to claw its way back from a 21-0 deficit before eventually taking a 31-28 lead with just four minutes remaining, only to allow Auburn’s offense to charge down the field and send the game into overtime with a game-tying field goal.
After trading touchdowns and field goals in the first two periods, the new overtime rules came into effect. Auburn’s two-point attempt was successful, while a well-designed play to RB Amari Daniels was dropped, ending the Aggies’ night.
Knowing what’s at stake against the Longhorns, this will be the most important week of practice for the Aggies, as head coach Mike Elko, OC Collin Klein, and, especially, DC Jay Bateman will need to put together a gameplan that doesn’t result in what we saw against the Tigers.
Ahead of facing Texas, ESPN’s Football Power Index update saw the Aggies drop one spot while Missouri and Oklahoma steadily rose in the rankings.
Texas A&M football’s FPI ranking, rating
According to ESPN’s Football Power Index, Texas A&M dropped to No. 19 after falling to Auburn, with a 14.4 FPI rating, the sixth-highest among SEC teams. The Aggies are projected to win 8.3 games and have a 6.5% chance of winning out. Sitting at 8-3 and 5-2, A&M currently has a 6.3% chance of making the playoffs and a 1.0% 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 (26.5), followed by Alabama (4th, 24.3), Georgia (22.5) at 5th, Ole Miss (21.3) at 6th, and Tennessee (20.5) in the 8th spot.
South Carolina dropped three spots (14.3) after defeating Wofford, while Oklahoma (12.0) rose four spots after defeating Alabama. Here is the rest of the SEC rankings:
- LSU (19th, 12.8)
- Missouri (21st 12.0)
- Florida (25th, 11.6)
- Auburn (29th, 9.7)
- Arkansas (32nd, 8.2)
- Vanderbilt (38th, 6.8)
- Mississippi State (70th, -0.9)
No. 19 Texas A&M will host No. 3 Texas on Saturday, Nov. 30 at 6:30 pm. CT. The game will air on ABC.
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