CFP Committee chair reveals why Texas A&M remains the No. 3 ranked team
Texas A&M (10-0, 7-0 SEC) remains the only undefeated team in the SEC after Saturday's epic comeback win over South Carolina . The Aggies defeated the Gamecocks 31-30 after trailing 30-3 at halftime.
Starting quarterback Marcel Reed's produced an incredible second-half performance. He threw for a career-high 439 yards, including 298 yards and three touchdowns after the break.
The Aggies once again proved their worth as a College Football Playoff contender.
On Tuesday, the latest CFP rankings revealed Texas A&M's lengthening stay as the No. 3 seed continues. It is ranked behind No. 2 Indiana and No. 1 Ohio State , which are also both undefeated.
However, Alabama fell from No. 4 last week to No. 10 this week following a 23-21 home loss to Oklahoma . The drop underscored how vital November wins are for every CFP-ranked team heading into the final two weeks of the regular season.
Based on Tuesday's rankings, we can conclude that had Texas A&M lost to South Carolina, even by a few points, the Aggies would have dropped multiple spots, although it likely would have stayed ahead of No. 9 Notre Dame, which A&M defeated on the road in Week 3.
During the rankings reveal, new college football playoff committee chair Hunter Yurachek was asked how No. 2 Indiana's recent road win over Penn State compared to the Aggies' comeback win over the Gamecocks. It's important to note that Penn State were both three-win teams entering last weekend.
“The committee in evaluating the first half of A&M's game versus South Carolina didn't look very much like a number three team, falling behind 30-3 and having (three) turnovers in that (half). But then in the second half, they looked everything like a No. 3 team in the country, dominating the second half with outscoring South Carolina 28-0, outgaining them 371 yards to 76 yards, holding South Carolina to 11 yards of total offense in the fourth quarter.
“What the committee saw in both Indiana and Texas A&M, good teams find ways to win games when they don't play their best. And that's what Indiana and Texas A&M both did, Indiana, on the road at Penn State, and Texas A&M at home this past weekend against South Carolina.”
No one is discounting Indiana's win over Penn State. Still, the Nittany Lions are a bad team this season. While South Carolina isn't much better, Gamecocks starting quarterback LaNorris Sellers is still considered a potential first-round NFL Draft pick. At the same time, sophomore edge Dylan Stewart is an elite pass rusher who came back from injury against the Aggies.
This is all hearsay, as Texas A&M still needed to beat the Texas Longhorns after hosting Samford to earn a spot in the SEC championship game. For now, staying at No. 3 and avoiding what would have been a massive letdown last weekend is all that matters.
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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: CFP Committee chair reveals why Texas A&M remains the No. 3
