Does Texas A&M's College Football Playoff Ranking Hold Any Weight?

After recording just their second confernce loss, the Texas A&M Aggies are forced to win out if they want to grace the College Football Playoff. Rankings might be hard to ignore, but for once, they don't seem to matter.

Texas A&M Aggies receiver Jabre Barber (1) is tackled by Auburn Tigers linebacker Austin Keys (6) as Auburn Tigers take on Texas A&M Aggies at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala., on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. / Jake Crandall/Montgomery Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

For all the energy surrounding the weekly College Football Rankings, the Texas A&M Aggies find themselves in an unusual position: it seems that their spot no longer holds much weight.

After a quadruple-overtime loss to the Auburn Tigers Saturday evening, the math is simple. If Mike Elko and company win against Texas, they're SEC Championship-bound with a clear shot at the playoff. If they lose, any and all postseason aspirations fade away.

The Aggies dropped to No. 20 in the latest AP Poll following their second conference loss, but in the CFP race — where they entered the week ranked No. 15 — that number means virtually nothing. And why?

Saturday's showdown against the Longhorns will solely determine who will join the Georgia Bulldogs in Atlanta, and a win there will likely put Texas A&M in the playoffs. Though if that's the goal they're shooting for, they'll need to put up a much better fight than they did against the Tigers.

“They came out playing harder than us,” Aggies quarterback Marcel Reed admitted. “We weren’t executing plays that were called.”

Despite the disappointing loss, the Aggies have been gifted a lifeline. Losses by Alabama and Ole Miss reshuffled the SEC, which allowed Texas A&M to maintain control of its own destiny.

In order to land where it wants to, however, it'll need to overcome the woes that tend to follow the spotlight — especially with College Game Day making its second visit of the season for the renewed rivalry — and some of its own grief.

“It sucks,” Aggies defensive lineman Albert Regis said of the loss. “You put so much in the game for moments like this. It just hurts.”

Regis added that come Monday morning, the loss will be scrubbed from memory for the Aggies. Luckily, that seems to be a timely plan, especially with just a few more days until they're back home.

If they win, they're in — simple as that. No numbers involved.

Especially when they're much lower than once hoped for.

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