Texas A&M Holds Spot at No. 3—But Can They Keep Climbing After Thrilling LSU Victory?

There’s something electric about a powerhouse team flexing its muscles in hostile territory — and that’s exactly what A&M did this past Saturday, blowing out LSU 49-25 in Death Valley. Even with such a dominant performance, the Aggies held firm at No. 3 in both the USA Today Coaches Poll and the AP Top 25, trailing only Ohio State, who had an off week, and Indiana, fresh off a massive beatdown of UCLA. It’s worth noting—A&M snagged a few first-place votes for the first time in nearly a decade, which speaks volumes about the respect brewing around this program. Now, with a timely bye week ahead, the Aggies get a chance to catch their breath and watch as the college football landscape shakes up around them, inching closer to their inaugural College Football Playoff berth. Come November 8, all eyes will be on their showdown in Columbia against the 19th-ranked Missouri Tigers — another team hitting pause this week — with kickoff time and broadcast details to be revealed soon. LEARN MORE

A&M had one of their biggest wins in recent memory on Saturday, dismantling LSU 49-25 in Death Valley. But as is the case when you get near the top of the rankings, A&M stayed put at No. 3 in both the USA Today Coaches Poll and the AP Top 25 behind Ohio State (idle) and Indiana (who obliterated UCLA). A&M did receive a handful of first place votes (two in the coaches poll, one in the AP poll), which hasn’t happened in nearly a decade.

The Aggies now get a well-timed bye week and get to watch as hopefully even more chaos happens around them to further solidify A&M’s case for the program’s first College Football Playoff appearance. They will then return to action on Nov. 8 when they travel to Columbia to take on the 19th-ranked Missouri Tigers (who are also on bye this coming week). The kickoff time and TV network for that game will be announced on Monday.