Breaking Down Texas A&M's Spot in the BCS Rankings

The Texas A&M football team dropped to No. 20 in the latest BCS rankings. The Aggies were No. 18 in the previous rankings but dropped because of their 24-19 loss to No. 6 LSU.

This is the second BCS poll and it is the second week in a row that the Aggies have been ranked.

The are one of seven teams from the Southeastern Conference who are ranked in the BCS poll. That is more teams than any other conference.

This is a look at the Ags' position in the BCS standings.

Is It Accurate?

The Aggies are one of the top 20 teams in the nation today, so the No. 20 ranking is accurate. They have proven they can compete with Top 10 teams, but they have not beaten any of them yet.

The real question is whether the Aggies will be ranked in the Top 25 at the end of the season. Right now the Ags should be favored to win three of their last five games. If they finish the season with an 8-4 record, then they will be right on the edge of the Top 25.

SEC with Strong Showing Again

The Aggies are one of seven SEC teams ranked in the BCS led by Alabama at No. 1. If the season were to end today, you would see Alabama play Florida for the national championship. There are four SEC teams ranked in the Top 10.

Florida will face No. 10 Georgia on Saturday in Jacksonville. If the Gators win, that will likely be their last real challenge until they would have to face Alabama in the SEC Championship Game.

If Alabama and Florida enter the SEC title game undefeated, then it would ensure a SEC team plays for the national title for the seventh straight year.  

Tough Schedule Ahead

The Aggies have five games remaining on the schedule and two of them are on the road against teams ranked in the BCS Top 10. Texas A&M will have to take on No. 11 Mississippi State and No. 1 Alabama on the road.

The Aggies also travel to play at Auburn on Saturday. If Mississippi State is ranked in the Top 10 of the BCS when the Ags travel to Starkville, it will mean the Aggies will play four teams ranked in the BCS Top 10 in 2012.

When you take into consideration that the Aggies faced then-No. 22 Louisiana Tech in non-conference play, it is easy to see that A&M played one of the toughest schedules in the nation in 2012.

Best-Case Scenario

With the loss to Louisiana State, the Aggies dropped to 5-2 overall and 2-2 in the SEC. The Aggies are 2-1 in the Western Division. In theory the Aggies are still alive to make the SEC title game.

They would need a lot of help to get there. The Ags would need to win their remaining four SEC games on their schedule. They would need LSU to lose to Alabama and Mississippi State, MSU to lose to Alabama, and the Crimson Tide to also lose to Auburn.

This is a highly unlikely scenario but still possible. Right now the Aggies just need to concentrate on getting a win at Auburn.

Realistic Expectations

The Aggies' goals for the season remain the same. The SEC West title and SEC championship are still a viable option although not likely. Realistically, the Aggies still need to win two more games to qualify for a bowl game.

That needs to be the goal. The Aggies will likely be favored against Auburn, Sam Houston State and Missouri. If they win those games, they will finish the season 8-4 which would exceed expectations.

With eight wins in their inaugural SEC season, the Ags will have shown that they belong in the SEC. Eight wins would constitute an improvement over the 2011 season and would show that the program is moving in the right direction.