Alabama vs. Texas A&M: How Aggies' Loss Impacts AP Rankings, CFP Picture

The Texas A&M Aggies came into Week 7 of the college football season at No. 9 in the nation, flying high after a 13-point win over the No. 21 Mississippi State Bulldogs last week. The Aggies even garnered a first-place vote in the AP Top 25.

After their 41-23 loss to the No. 10 Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturday, though, Texas A&M probably won't be getting any more first-place votes. The team's title hopes took a big blow Saturday as its pursuit of a perfect season ended.

The win will see Alabama make its way back up to the Top 10, while A&M will probably drop to the high teens in the rankings. It was a mistake-filled evening that saw the Aggies turn the ball over four times.

Head coach Kevin Sumlin tried to sum up his team's performance after the game, per Suzanne Halliburton of the Austin American-Statesman:

"When you play a quality football team like that, especially with their defense, your mistakes are amplified," he said. "Instead of balls falling to the ground, they were getting returned for touchdowns. … Ultimately you can’t spot a team so many points, especially a team like that."

It will be a tough loss for A&M to swallow after watching No. 7 Michigan State narrowly escape its game against No. 12 Michigan with a win. If the Aggies had won, they could have moved further into the Top 10. Now, Alabama and No. 11 Florida State could join Michigan State in the College Football Playoff conversation. 

Florida State defeated Louisville by 20 points Saturday, while Michigan State miraculously defeated Michigan on a last-second fumble recovery and score.

Within the conference, A&M's loss saw LSU pull away in first place in the SEC West. The Tigers will stay there if they defeat No. 8 Florida on Saturday night.

LSU already had a 3-0 conference record, compared to A&M's 2-0 mark entering the week. If the Aggies, or Alabama for that matter, want a chance to win the SEC West, they'll need LSU to lose at least once. But the Aggies' loss ensures that things will stay tight in the SEC for at least another week. 

Texas A&M and Alabama have a shot to deliver that loss to LSU. The Crimson Tide will be up first in the first weekend of November, while the Aggies could be the last roadblock for the Tigers on Nov. 28.

It looks like A&M will have a clear path until that matchup, as its next five games may come against unranked opponents. That's assuming Ole Miss drops out of the polls after its loss to Memphis.

A playoff berth isn't an unattainable dream for Texas A&M, but it will have to stay at one loss and use the regular-season finale to play its best football of the year.

Stats courtesy of ESPN.com.