Texas A&M Climbs to No. 8 in Coaches Poll After 2-0 Start

Texas A&M is moving up.

The Aggies climbed one spot to No. 8 in the latest US LBM Coaches Poll, earning 1,311 points after improving to 2-0 with Saturday's 48-20 win over Arizona State at Kyle Field.

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Texas A&M entered the week ranked ninth in the poll and took advantage of movement above it after another chaotic weekend across college football.

The Aggies weren't perfect against Arizona State, but they finished like a top-10 team.

Quarterback Marcel Reed threw three touchdown passes, while Texas A&M's defense delivered two fourth-quarter interception returns for touchdowns to turn a competitive game into a convincing 28-point victory.

The Aggies led only 24-20 late in the third quarter before taking over.

Reed hit Mario Craver for a 33-yard touchdown early in the fourth to create breathing room, then the defense slammed the door with a pair of scores of its own.

That strong finish followed Texas A&M's 50-0 demolition of Missouri State in the season opener, giving Mike Elko's team a combined scoring margin of 98-20 through two games.

The bigger story now is where Texas A&M fits nationally.

Texas jumped to No. 1 in the Coaches Poll after its dramatic 24-23 win over Ohio State. Georgia remained No. 2, followed by Notre Dame, Indiana and Miami. Ohio State fell to No. 6, while LSU sits seventh immediately ahead of the Aggies.

That gives the SEC four teams inside the top eight: Texas, Georgia, LSU and Texas A&M.

And now the schedule gets more serious.

Texas A&M opens SEC play against Kentucky on Sept. 19 before traveling to LSU the following week, a stretch that should reveal quickly whether the Aggies belong among the nation's true playoff contenders.

For now, the coaches are buying in.

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Texas A&M is unbeaten, ranked inside the top eight and trending upward.

That's exactly where Elko wanted this team to be entering conference play.