Texas A&M opens the College Football Playoff chase just outside the top four teams.
In the first CFP rankings unveiled Tuesday on ESPN, the Aggies were ranked No. 5 by the selection committee. It’s the highest that A&M has been in the CFP since being fourth in the first rankings of 2016, when the Aggies faded to 8-5. The No. 5 spot mirrors A&M’s ranking in the AP Top 25.
The final CFP rankings are currently scheduled for Dec. 20 after the conference championship games.
Winners of four straight, the Aggies (5-1) were not hurt by consecutive postponements against Tennessee and Mississippi because of positive COVID-19 tests and contact tracing on the team. A&M hosts unranked LSU on Saturday and faces three additional games to close the season: Ole Miss, at Tennessee and at No. 22 Auburn.
Alabama, Notre Dame, Clemson and Ohio State were the top four in the rankings.
While coach Jimbo Fisher has declined to lobby for his team until the full body of work is complete, the Aggies could not have realistically hoped for a better starting position.
For one, A&M got the benefit of the doubt over No. 6 Florida (6-1), in large part because of a 41-38 head-to-head win at Kyle Field.
“Head-to-head is one of the factors for sure, and Texas A&M did beat Florida,” said selection committee chairman Gary Barta, the athletic director at Iowa. “Texas A&M’s only loss so far this year was to No. 1 Alabama. We also certainly talked about Florida. [Quarterback] Kyle Trask is playing at the top of his game right now.
“There was a lot of discussion in this area on these teams, but at the end of the day we just felt Texas A&M earned the No. 5 ranking.”
Added ESPN analyst Jesse Palmer: “This is showing me that head-to-head matters in the committee’s mind now. How much does that carry down the road?”
For A&M, the most plausible playoff path would involve winning out and then favorable results in the SEC and ACC. An Alabama win over Florida in what seems like a probable SEC title game matchup would prevent the Gators from jumping the Aggies.
And A&M needs either Notre Dame to beat Clemson again in the ACC title game or for either team to suffer a loss before the title game. Notre Dame travels to CFP No. 19 North Carolina on Saturday.
Here are other takeaways from the CFP:
-- The Big 12 had four teams ranked, but needs chaos to make the CFP. No. 11 Oklahoma is playing dominant football but suffered early losses to Kansas State and Iowa State that make a playoff return a longshot.
No. 13 Iowa State took a hit with an opening loss to Louisiana from the Sun Belt. Texas fell early to TCU (3-4) and No. 23 Oklahoma State suffered a lopsided 41-13 loss this past weekend to OU.
Barta pointed to Oklahoma’s recent body of work, including wins over Texas and Oklahoma State. He also noted the return of defensive lineman Ronnie Perkins and running back Rhamondre Stevenson from suspension and the maturity of redshirt freshman quarterback Spencer Rattler.
“And the other thing the committee noted is that Spencer Rattler is playing at a level now that I think a lot of people thought he might play at earlier in the season,” Barta said.
-- The AAC might have a shot, but needs a lot of help. No. 7 Cincinnati opens as the highest ranked Group of 5 team in the seven-year history of playoff rankings. UCF previously held that distinction at No. 8 in 2018. Barta pointed to what he called quality wins against SMU and UCF.
“Cincinnati has shown it can compete with any team in the country by virtue of its perfect record against a challenging schedule,” AAC commissioner Mike Aresco said in a statement. “Their ranking indicates that they will be in contention for the national championship.”
-- The Pac-12 looks like a non-factor in the playoff thanks to a truncated schedule. No. 15 Oregon (3-0) is the highest ranked Pac-12 school.
-- Undefeated BYU (9-0), which has been dominant against a makeshift schedule forced by COVID-19, was only 14th, behind three two-loss teams. The Cougars have not played a power conference opponent this season.
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CFP Rankings
1. Alabama (7-0)
2. Notre Dame (8-0)
3. Clemson (7-1)
4. Ohio State (4-0)
5. Texas A&M (5-1)
6. Florida (5-1)
7. Cincinnati (8-0)
8. Northwestern (5-0)
9. Georgia (5-2)
10. Miami (7-1)
11. Oklahoma (6-2)
12. Indiana (4-1)
13. Iowa State (6-2)
14. BYU (9-0)
15. Oregon (3-0)
16. Wisconsin (2-1)
17. Texas (5-2)
18. USC (3-0)
19. North Carolina (6-2)
20. Coastal Carolina (8-0)
21. Marshall (7-0)
22. Auburn (5-2)
23. Oklahoma State (5-2)
24. Iowa (3-2)
25. Tulsa (5-1)
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