College Football Top 10 Ranking: Where does Texas A&M fall?

It’s the second year of the 12-team College Football Playoff. When the CFP committee starts releasing rankings later this season, they won’t be the end-all, be-all, given the new seeding rules for the 12-team field. However, rankings are still enjoyable and people will continue to argue over them. They still matter. 

So after every weekend, after the dust settles from the games, I’m going to unveil my updated top 10. The regular season has concluded. Where do things stand heading into championship weekend?

1. Ohio State (12-0)

Ohio State ran through the regular season with what seemed like zero resistance. Saturday’s road game against Michigan was supposed to be the biggest test for the Buckeyes since their season-opening win over Texas. It wasn’t much of a challenge. Ryan Day got over the Michigan hump as Ohio State beat the Wolverines 27-9, out-gaining them 419-163. Ohio State looks like the most complete team in college football. It heads to Indianapolis for the Big Ten title game against Indiana next weekend before embarking on another College Football Playoff to defend its national title.

2. Indiana (12-0)

Indiana beat the heck out of Purdue on Friday night to finish the regular season undefeated. Unlike last year, the Hoosiers head into the postseason with everyone’s respect because they have a double-digit win over Oregon on their resume. Nobody questions whether Indiana is one of the best teams in college football, but it has a chance to make a massive statement next weekend in Indianapolis against the Buckeyes.

3. Georgia (11-1)

Georgia finished its SEC schedule two weeks ago with a blowout over Texas. On Friday night, it capped off its regular season with a 16-9 win over rival Georgia Tech in Atlanta. Georgia is 11-1 and possesses wins over Tennessee, Ole Miss and Texas. Its lone loss is to Alabama. We came into the weekend uncertain of whether the Bulldogs would play in the SEC title game, but after Texas A&M lost to Texas on Friday night, Georgia will play in Atlanta for the second consecutive weekend. 

4. Ole Miss (11-1)

Ole Miss’ win over Mississippi State on Friday secured the first 11-win season in program history. That’s great news with the College Football Playoff already locked up. The bad news? Lane Kiffin is likely off to LSU and won’t be coaching the Rebels in the CFP. It’s a bittersweet situation right now because this is supposed to be the most exciting part of the season, particularly for a team that’s as talented as Ole Miss. Now it has to try to get itself together for a postseason run without its star coach, who left for a conference rival.

5. Texas Tech (11-1)

Texas Tech wrapped up its regular-season finale Saturday with a 49-0 win over West Virginia. The Red Raiders, who are now set for a rematch with BYU in next weekend’s Big 12 title game in Dallas, are clearly the best team in the conference. The question is whether they are deep and talented enough to make a College Football Playoff run, which would be huge for the conference. Yes, the Big 12 is technically considered a power conference, but it has been treated as a second-class citizen since Texas and Oklahoma left. Is Texas Tech’s oil money deep enough to bring the conference back to life?

6. Texas A&M (11-1)

The Aggies are down in the dumps right now after losing to at Texas on Friday night. Though they were having one of the most memorable seasons in college football history, it was tainted by having to hear about it from the Longhorns for another year. If you’re a glass half full person, you can rejoice in that this team is going to the CFP and Marcel Reed is healthy. For a while there Friday night, you were scared Reed suffered a season-ending injury. The ending of the season wasn’t ideal, but Texas A&M will ultimately be defined by what it does next.

7. Oregon (11-1)

Oregon got a semi-legitimizing win when it beat USC last weekend. The Ducks followed that up with a convincing win over Washington on Saturday, finishing the season 11-1. Oregon’s lone loss is to Indiana — which is certainly understandable — but it doesn’t have any truly quality wins to fall back on. Don’t let that bother you though, Ducks. This is one of the most talented teams in the country and maybe flying under the radar into the CFP is a good thing.

8. Miami (10-2)

Miami entered the weekend heading to Pittsburgh in a scary matchup. The Panthers were dangerous enough to clip them, they were playing on their home field and it was freezing outside. The result? Miami won 38-7, finishing the season with four consecutive wins. It has to be maddening for Hurricanes fans to feel like they are on the outside looking in at the CFP in the moment. But with a head-to-head win over Notre Dame, I’d have Miami in the field if it were up to me.

9. Oklahoma (10-2)

Oklahoma survived a scare against LSU on Saturday to finish the regular season 10-2. Though there is some real question about whether the Sooners’ offense is good enough to make a deep run in the CFP, it seems fairly certain they will be making the field. They are a 10-2 team in the SEC and possess wins over Michigan, Tennessee, Alabama and Missouri. The resume alone warrants this ranking.

10. Alabama (10-2)

Alabama had one final hurdle to make it into the College Football Playoff and it was a big one — a game at Auburn. Anyone familiar with the Iron Bowl knows that game is always crazy, but the Crimson Tide managed to escape with a narrow 27-20 win after forcing a turnover with less than a minute left. Alabama has one of the best collections of wins in the sport, so regardless of what happens in the SEC title game next weekend, the Crimson Tide should be in.