A&M stays put at No. 15 in 2024's third College Football Playoff top-25
On Saturday night, Texas A&M handled its business. As expected.
And on Tuesday, the Aggies stayed put in the College Football Playoff rankings. As expected.
Indeed, a 38-3 victory over an inferior opponent did not impress the committee as Texas A&M landed at No. 15 for a second consecutive week.
A&M is also ranked No. 15 by the Associated Press and No. 14 in the Coaches Poll entering Week 13.
Again, that’s not surprising.
There was little to be learned in a November date against New Mexico State, but the next two weeks will ultimately determine A&M’s fate.
With two games left, the Ags control their own destiny in the race for Atlanta and are tied atop the SEC standings with No. 3 Texas at 5-1 in conference play.
A dangerous road trip to Auburn awaits, and Mike Elko & Co. must not be caught looking ahead to a Nov. 30 rivalry renewal with the Longhorns that projects to be the biggest in Kyle Field’s 97-year history.
Of course, that’s if A&M’s plane leaves The Plains for a happy flight back to Aggieland on Saturday night.
“When you’re in the situation we’re in, it’s easy to focus on the task at hand,” Elko said on Monday. “Our focus is single-handedly on Auburn right now and locked in on what we’ve got to get done.”
A&M is among the eight Southeastern Conference teams included in the third CFP ranking of 2024: No. 3 Texas, No. 7 Alabama, No. 9 Ole Miss, No. 10 Georgia, No. 11 Tennessee, No. 15 Texas A&M, No. 18 South Carolina and No. 23 Missouri. Under this scenario, the Vols would be left out of a 12-team playoff.
Elko’s Ags will face Hugh Freeze’s Tigers at 6:30 p.m. CT on Saturday night at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
College Football Playoff Top 25
| Rank | Nov. 12 Rankings | Nov. 19 Rankings |
| 1 | 1. Oregon (9-0)* | 1. Oregon (10-0)* |
| 2 | 2. Ohio State (8-1) | 2. Ohio State (9-1) |
| 3 | 3. Texas (8-1)* | 3. Texas (9-1)* |
| 4 | 4. Penn State (8-1) | 4. Penn State (9-1) |
| 5 | 5. Indiana (10-0) | 5. Indiana (10-0) |
| 6 | 6. Brigham Young (9-0)* | 6. Notre Dame (9-1) |
| 7 | 7. Tennessee (8-1) | 7. Alabama (8-2) |
| 8 | 8. Notre Dame (8-1) | 8. Miami (9-1)* |
| 9 | 9. Miami (9-1)* | 9. Ole Miss (8-2) |
| 10 | 10. Alabama (7-2) | 10. Georgia (8-2) |
| 11 | 11. Ole Miss (8-2) | 11. Tennessee (8-2) |
| 12 | 12. Georgia (7-2) | 12. Boise State (9-1)* |
| 13 | 13. Boise State (8-1)* | 13. Southern Methodist (9-1) |
| 14 | 14. Southern Methodist (8-1) | 14. Brigham Young (9-1)* |
| 15 | 15. Texas A&M (7-2) | 15. Texas A&M (8-2) |
| 16 | 16. Kansas State (7-2) | 16. Colorado (8-2) |
| 17 | 17. Colorado (7-2) | 17. Clemson (8-2) |
| 18 | 18. Washington State (8-1) | 18. South Carolina (7-3) |
| 19 | 19. Louisville (6-3) | 19. Army (9-0) |
| 20 | 20. Clemson (7-2) | 20. Tulane (9-2) |
| 21 | 21. South Carolina (6-3) | 21. Arizona State (8-2) |
| 22 | 22. Louisiana State (6-3) | 22. Iowa State (8-2) |
| 23 | 23. Missouri (7-2) | 23. Missouri (7-3) |
| 24 | 24. Army (9-0) | 24. UNLV (8-2) |
| 25 | 25. Tulane (8-2) | 25. Illinois (7-3) |
OUT: Louisiana State, Louisville, Washington State, Kansas State
Italics denotes Southeastern Conference member
* - denotes team is among the five highest-ranked conference “leaders” and would receive an automatic bid to the 12-team field as the conference’s projected champion. The four highest-ranked conference champions receive a first-round bye.