Texas A&M earns first preseason top-10 ranking since 2013

Head coach Jimbo Fisher has Texas A&M back in the preseason top-10 for the first time in nearly a decade, as the Preseason AP Top-25 lists the Aggies at No. 6 behind only Alabama, Oklahoma, Clemson, Ohio State and Georgia.

The last time the Aggies were ranked in the preseason top-10 was in 2013, when they came in at No. 7. Their current ranking is the program’s highest preseason ranking since 1995, when they were slotted at No. 3.

The Aggies have not started and ended a season in the top-10 since 1993.

The high ranking should come as little surprise after Texas A&M had its best finish since 1939; the Aggies boasted a 9-1 record, including a 41-27 Orange Bowl victory over North Carolina. By season’s end, the Aggies were ranked No. 4 in both the Coaches’ Poll and AP Poll but were not selected to the College Football Playoff. Their only loss in 2020 came in decisive fashion against Alabama, as the Aggies fell 52-24 on the road.

The Aggies will return some of their top talent from 2020, including offensive tackle Kenyon Green, who was voted a consensus All-American in 2020, defensive lineman DeMarvin Leal, who was voted team Defensive MVP and defensive end Michael Clemons, who was off to a hot start in 2020, tallying four sacks in five games, before a groin injury sidelined him for the remainder of the season. Overall, the defense boasts nine returning starters.

The Aggies’ offense, on the other hand, has some unanswered questions on the depth chart. While Green returns as the anchor, the rest of the offensive line was depleted, as the other four starters must be replaced. Additionally, with longtime starting quarterback Kellen Mond moving onto the NFL, the Aggies will have to start an inexperienced quarterback for the first time in Fisher’s young tenure. Fisher has not yet named a starter between Haynes King and Zach Calzada.

Regardless, the Aggies will have plenty of time to rework their new-look offense before the schedule picks up. They start off the season with games against Kent State, Colorado, New Mexico, Arkansas and Mississippi State, none of which they will be projected to lose, barring significant changes. Following the five-game stretch, Texas A&M will face its first top-tier opponent when it hosts Alabama on Oct. 9.

Texas A&M only has two games on its schedule against Preseason AP Top-25 teams: Oct. 9 against No. 1 Alabama, and Nov. 27 against No. 16 LSU.