The No. 9 ranking seems about right. Hopefully, we dominate Kentucky from start to finish with better offensive execution.
With a loaded slate of non-conference games in Week 2, the Aggies did their part.
In an SEC vs. Big 12 matchup, Texas A&M earned a lopsided 48-20 victory over Arizona State in front of 107,523 at Kyle Field on a scorching Saturday afternoon in Aggieland.
For their efforts, Mike Elko & Co. have moved up one spot to No. 9 in the Week 3 Associated Press poll.
The Ags are also ranked No. 8 in the latest US LBM Coaches Poll.
Through two weeks, A&M is averaging 49.0 points per game and allowing just 10.0 per game.
Of course, final scores and cherry-picked stats can be deceiving. Despite doubling the pregame spread, it’s fair to say that the outcome was in the balance for much of the day as the Aggie offense sputtered from time to time.
“I always want to play at our best. We didn’t today, and we won comfortably,” head coach Mike Elko said Saturday. “Today, at times, we played ugly, but we did the winning things. … We don’t want to live like that, but that’s what we did today, and that’s how we got the win.”
Yet a pair of pick-sixes courtesy of Marco Jones and Julio Humphrey headlined the opportunistic defense that forced four total turnovers and allowed that struggling offense to have an average starting field position of the minus-42-yard line.
Combined with a disciplined performance that resulted in just one accepted penalty against the Aggies, and the Maroon & White move into SEC play with plenty of momentum...and plenty of room for improvement.
“Today, at times, we played ugly, but we did the winning things. … We don’t want to live like that, but that’s what we did today, and that’s how we got the win.”
“You’ve got to be able to overcome adversity if you want to be a really, really good football team,” Elko said. “There were times when that showed itself today. I thought, offensively, putting a drive together when they got things rolling. Defensively, after the turnovers, stepping up and making a play. We were able to overcome some adversity today. That was really, really good to see.”
Pollsters seem to think the Aggies are a really, really good team that’s still deserving to be among the nation’s top 10.
A&M began the year ranked eighth, dropped two spots after a 50-0 opener against Missouri State and now bump their ranking up to No. 9.
Entering Week 3, the Aggies are among the nine SEC teams in the AP’s top 25, joining the likes of Texas, Georgia, LSU, Ole Miss, Alabama, Tennessee, Missouri and Oklahoma.
Not for nothing, the league has flexed its muscles early in 2026.
Through two weeks, the SEC is a combined 29-3. The only losses belong to Kentucky, which played a conference opponent on Saturday, Arkansas, which is Arkansas, and Oklahoma, which gave up more points to Michigan than Western Michigan (in less time).
Against the other “power” conferences, the league is 2-1 vs. the Big Ten, 3-0 vs. the ACC and 3-1 vs. the Big 12.
And the Aggies did their part.
Associated Press Top 25
| Rank | Week 2 Poll | Week 3 Poll |
| 1 | 1. Ohio State (1-0) | 1. Texas (2-0) |
| 2 | 2. Georgia (1-0) | 2. Georgia (2-0) |
| 3 | 3. Notre Dame (1-0) | 3. Notre Dame (2-0) |
| 4 | 4. Texas (1-0) | 4. Indiana (2-0) |
| 5 | 5. Indiana (1-0) | 5. Miami (2-0) |
| 6 | 6. Oregon (1-0) | 6. Ohio State (1-1) |
| 7 | 7. Miami (1-0) | 7. Louisiana State (2-0) |
| 8 | 8. Louisiana State (1-0) | 8. Ole Miss (2-0) |
| 9 | 9. Ole Miss (1-0) | 9. Texas A&M (2-0) |
| 10 | 10. Texas A&M (1-0) | 10. Alabama (2-0) |
| 11 | 11. Oklahoma (1-0) | 11. Brigham Young (2-0) |
| 12 | 12. Alabama (1-0) | 12. Southern Cal (3-0) |
| 13 | 13. Texas Tech (1-0) | 13. Texas Tech (2-0) |
| 14 | 14. Southern Cal (2-0) | 14. Penn State (2-0) |
| 15 | 15. Brigham Young (1-0) | 15. Tennessee (2-0) |
| 16 | 16. Penn State (1-0) | 16. Southern Methodist (2-0) |
| 17 | 17. Southern Methodist (1-0) | 17. Utah (2-0) |
| 18 | 18. Tennessee (1-0) | 18. Iowa (2-0) |
| 19 | 19. Washington (1-0) | 19. Michigan (2-0) |
| 20 | 20. Utah (1-0) | 20. Missouri (2-0) |
| 21 | 21. Iowa (1-0) | 21. Oregon (1-1) |
| 22 | 22. Houston (1-0) | 22. Houston (2-0) |
| 23 | 23. Missouri (1-0) | 23. Louisville (1-1) |
| 24 | 24. Louisville (0-1) | 24. Oklahoma (1-1) |
| 25 | 25. Virginia (1-0) | 25. Virginia (2-0) |
OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: Washington 172, Florida 83, Boise State 57, Oklahoma State 36, Western Michigan 35, Tulsa 18, Mississippi State 17, South Carolina 15, Virginia Tech 11, UCLA 9, James Madison 6, Arizona 5, North Dakota State 3, Pittsburgh 1, Kansas State 1
Italics denotes Southeastern Conference member
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