College Football Rankings 2020: Projected AP Top 25 final rankings

After the Aggies nearly reached the College Football Playoff, they will end the season as the No. 3 team in the AP Top 25 after a 41-27 victory over North Carolina in the Orange Bowl. Texas A&M put on a clinic on both offense and defense for their ninth win of the season, but they also needed 24 points in the fourth quarter to run away with the win. With all the attrition in the top 10 over the bowl season, though, Jimbo Fisher’s team emerged as one of only two one-loss teams among Power Five programs that played at least 10 games this year.

Against the Tar Heels, Kellen Mond went 16-of-26 for 232 passing yards and added a touchdown on the ground. Devon Achane led the way on the ground with 120 rushing yards and two scores, while Isaiah Spiller also chipped in a pair of touchdowns as the Aggies finished with 225 total rushing yards. On defense, Texas A&M gave up 234 yards and three touchdowns through the air to Sam Howell but held a backfield depleted by opt-outs to just 90 rushing yards.

Slotted comfortably into the top five of the final AP Top 25 for the first time since Johnny Manziel led Kevin Sumlin’s first squad to an 11-2 record in 2012, Texas A&M has a strong foundation upon which to build for 2021 and beyond. Whether that will allow them to finally overtake the Alabama juggernaut looming in the SEC West is another question.