Where was Texas A&M placed in first College Football Playoff ranking?

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Following the program's first 8-0 start since 1992, the Texas A&M football program was placed at No. 3 in the first College Football Playoff rankings of the 2025-2026 season on Tuesday night.

Led by second-year head coach Mike Elko, the Aggies have secured their highest ranking in the 11-year history of the playoff. While Elko and company have two top-25 teams remaining on the schedule in the Missouri Tigers (Nov. 4) and Texas Longhorns (Nov. 28), the program's continued success moves it one step closer to locking a playoff bid.

Here are the first College Football Playoff rankings of the year, featuring nine Southeastern Conference programs in the top 25 entering Week 11:

  1. Ohio State Buckeyes (8-0)
  2. Indiana Hoosiers (9-0)
  3. Texas A&M Aggies (8-0)
  4. Alabama Crimson Tide (7-1)
  5. Georgia Bulldogs (7-1)
  6. Ole Miss Rebels (8-1)
  7. BYU Cougars (8-0)
  8. Texas Tech Red Raiders (8-1)
  9. Oregon Ducks (7-1)
  10. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (6-2)
  11. Texas Longhorns (7-2)
  12. Oklahoma Sooners (7-2)
  13. Utah Utes (7-2)
  14. Virginia Cavaliers (8-1)
  15. Louisville Cardinals (7-1)
  16. Vanderbilt Commodores (7-2)
  17. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (8-1)
  18. Miami Hurricanes (6-2)
  19. USC Trojans (6-2)
  20. Iowa Hawkeyes (6-2)
  21. Michigan Wolverines (7-2)
  22. Missouri Tigers (6-2)
  23. Washington Huskies (6-2)
  24. Pittsburgh Panthers (7-2)
  25. Tennessee Volunteers (6-3)

With these rankings, and also taking into consideration the nod to the Group of Five conference champion, here are the official 12-team playoff projections based on the College Football Playoff Committee's selection process, which features Texas A&M taking on the winner of Ole Miss and Virginia if the season ended today:

Tuesday's CFP rankings mark the first of six nationally televised shows that will occur in 2025. The release schedule will go as follows, per ESPN:

  • Tuesday, Nov. 4 (7 p.m. CT)
  • Tuesday, Nov. 11 (6 p.m. CT)
  • Tuesday, Nov. 18 (7:30 p.m. CT)
  • Tuesday, Nov. 25 (6 p.m. CT)
  • Tuesday, Dec. 2 (6 p.m. CT)
  • Sunday, Dec. 7 (11 a.m. CT)

Regarding the Maroon and White, everything is still in front of the program in Bryan-College Station, Texas. If Elko can lead his team to a strong finish, the Aggies could be participating in the SEC Championship and receive a high seed in the College Football Playoff. It will not be easy, however, as Texas A&M will face the fifth-best defensive unit in college football in Columbia, Missouri, on Saturday, while also having the Lone Star Showdown against the Longhorns looming in three weeks.

Elko and company are focused on taking it one game at a time, but Texas A&M's successful outings on the gridiron only increase the program's chances of reaching the playoff for the first time in school history.

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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Texas A&M breaks top three in College Football Playoff's first ranking

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