Texas A&M is ahead of Alabama in Week 9 of the AP Top 25

The Texas A&M Aggies are on a six-game winning streak and are 4-0 in SEC play after Saturday’s victory over the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

The 34-24 road win wasn’t enough to move Texas A&M up from No. 14 in the Week 9 AP Poll, but the Aggies are still ahead of some big-name teams that have now fallen behind.

No. 14 Texas A&M is one spot ahead of No. 15 Alabama, which fell eight spots from No. 7 after a 24-17 loss to the Tennessee Volunteers. The Aggies are also ahead of three other SEC teams at No. 18 Ole Miss, No. 21 Missouri and No. 25 Vanderbilt. The other four SEC teams in the top 25 are No. 2 Georgia, No. 5 Texas, No. 7 Tennessee and No. 8 LSU.

Texas A&M was far from perfect against Mississippi State, but the Aggies were able to do something that has haunted them for the past few seasons: win an SEC game on the road. Head coach Mike Elko understood the challenge his team faced.

“It’s an away win and that’s not easy in this league,” said Elko. “I’ve been saying it all week. I’m not sure everyone in my locker room believed me. But we definitely said it all week and it happened today.”

The Aggies will now host No. 8 LSU in College Station on Saturday. Texas A&M has a chance to secure another top-10 win, which would be crucial to the program’s College Football Playoff hopes.