Texas A&M Football: 3 reasons the Aggies deserve a playoff spot
By Dante Pryor
Texas A&M football handily defeated the Tennessee Volunteers 34-13 in its season finale. Do the Aggies deserve a playoff spot?
If this were statement weekend in addition to championship weekend, Texas A&M football made quite the statement against the Tennessee Volunteers this afternoon with an impressive 34-13 victory at Neyland Stadium.
Kellen Mond had another solid outing with 340 total yards and two touchdowns.
The running game was dominant against the Volunteers racking up 216 yards and three touchdowns. Without a conference championship game left to play, the Aggies certainly put something on the committee’s minds with today’s victory. It also helped that Oklahoma — who’s chances were slim coming into this weekend — and Ohio State were not impressive in their respective victories.
Though the committee is quite inconsistent on the criteria that it takes to claim one of the four spots in the Playoff, there are a couple the committee has been very staunch. Conference championships are part of the criteria but not a deciding factor for a team getting into the playoff (see 2014 Ohio State and 2017 Alabama). Also, the committee has never left an undefeated team out of the playoff either.
Suffice it to say the Aggies have a bit of an uphill climb to make it into the playoff. Someone would have to get bumped, and the committee would not want a rematch of their 52-24 blowout loss to Alabama in the semifinal.
Could the Aggies get in? Yes, but some things would have to happen. Here are three reasons why they deserve a playoff spot.
3. When the Aggies are good, they are really good
When the Aggies are at their best, there is an argument they are one of the four best teams in college football. Kellen Mond has shown growth as a decision-maker in the pocket in Jimbo Fisher’s complex offensive schemes. Isaiah Spiller is the feature back Fisher’s offense needs. If Jalen Wydermyer were draft-eligible, he’d battle Kyle Pitts as the top tight end taken in the draft.
Where Texas A&M has made its most significant strides is defensively. The Aggies only gave up 30 three times this season and held two opponents under ten points. When the Aggies are on, they are on. The issue for A&M is there have been games where they have not been at their best.