Texas A&M made its first appearance of the year on The Associated Press’ Top 25 rankings Tuesday. After whipping No. 15 Arizona State 38-17 on Saturday, the Aggies find themselves No. 16 in the country.

All it takes is a quick glance to notice that the poll is loaded with Southeastern Conference schools. All seven SEC West teams are ranked in the Top 25, as are SEC East powerhouses Georgia, Missouri and Tennessee. It is the first time in history that ten teams from the same conference have been ranked in the Top 25 at the same time.

In the Coaches Poll, which is a completely different list than the AP, the Aggies are ranked 19th and in the NCAA College Football Power Rankings, they are No. 11.

It wasn’t just the victory over Arizona State that fueled the Aggies big jump in the national rankings, it was the way in which they won. They dominated the Sun Devils, who were projected by some (most notably Kirk Herbstreit) to crack the College Football Playoff.

While freshman receiver Christian Kirk was the highlight of the event offensively by amassing more than 200 all-purpose yards, the dynamic duo of Myles Garrett and Daeshon Hall led the way for the Aggie defense with six sacks.
A&M will take a break from its heavily ranked schedule by hosting Ball State at 6 p.m. Saturday at Kyle Field.