Texas A&M Football: One-loss SEC team always CFB Playoff worthy

CLEMSON, SOUTH CAROLINA - SEPTEMBER 07: Head coach Jimbo Fisher stands alongside his quarterback Kellen Mond #11 of the Texas A&M Aggies before their game against the Clemson Tigers at Memorial Stadium on September 07, 2019 in Clemson, South Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
CLEMSON, SOUTH CAROLINA - SEPTEMBER 07: Head coach Jimbo Fisher stands alongside his quarterback Kellen Mond #11 of the Texas A&M Aggies before their game against the Clemson Tigers at Memorial Stadium on September 07, 2019 in Clemson, South Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

Texas A&M football took care of business on Saturday against Tennessee, finishing its season 8-1. The record alone is College Football Playoff worthy.

Jimbo Fisher hasn’t indulged in College Football Playoff speculation in recent weeks. He’s been heads down, imploring his team to stay focused on what they can control and not worry about the outside world. After Texas A&M beat Tennessee on the final Saturday of the regular season, his tune shifted.

In a postgame interview, Fisher dropped this notable nugget: “No team in SEC history has ever lost just one game and not been in [the playoff]”.

He’s right. Since the College Football Playoff began in 2014, there will have been nine SEC teams to finish the regular season with one or fewer losses. All seven teams prior to this season made the Playoff. That includes a 2017 Alabama team that did not win, or play for, the SEC Championship. Two teams fit that criteria this year:

  • 2014 Alabama (12-1)
  • 2015 Alabama (12-1)
  • 2016 Alabama (13-0)
  • 2017 Georgia (12-1)
  • 2017 Alabama (12-1)
  • 2018 Alabama (13-0)
  • 2019 LSU (13-0)
  • 2020 Texas A&M (8-1)
  • 2020 Alabama (10-0 or 9-1)* pending result of SEC Championship

The media has debated who is most deserving all season long. All the while, despite one loss to the nation’s unquestioned No. 1 team, Texas A&M football has won, and won, and won. Sometimes you don’t need to overthink it. Sometimes the teams that win in the conference that’s perpetually produced the best college football has to offer are as good as advertised.

No matter what happens in the ACC Championship or the SEC Championship, Texas A&M’s record isn’t changing. Surviving an SEC schedule with only one loss is hard to do. But thanks to 2020, Texas A&M has become the first team ever to absorb a loss and still win eight games in the SEC regular season.

It’s time to admit what has been clear to many for a long while. Texas A&M has earned a shot at the College Football Playoff.