No. 3 Texas A&M can take another step toward landing a high seed in the College Football Playoff when it faces No. 22 Missouri on Saturday afternoon at Columbia, Mo.
The Southeastern Conference matchup is big for both schools but carries even more weight for the Aggies after the initial CFP rankings were released on Tuesday night.
Texas A&M (8-0, 5-0) is the highest-ranked team in the conference, ahead of No. 4 Alabama (7-1, 5-0), No. 5 Georgia (7-1, 5-1) and No. 6 Ole Miss (8-1, 5-1). But in this era of the 16-team SEC, the Aggies play none of those three teams this season.
Asked how to quantify why Texas A&M is the best of the bunch, Aggies coach Mike Elko didn’t pull any punches.
“Um, we haven’t lost yet,” he said with a laugh. “That would probably be a good starting point.”
Elko acknowledged it isn’t easy to have a handle when trying to dissect foes.
“Yeah, I don’t know. It’s hard to compare yourself to other teams in the league,” Elko said. “I’m just trying to figure out how to play good football on Saturday against Missouri.”
The Aggies have come up with the answers each week and have topped 40 points five times. Texas A&M pounded host LSU 49-25 on Oct. 25 and then had a bye last weekend.
Sophomore quarterback Marcel Reed has passed for 1,972 yards and 17 touchdowns against six interceptions for the Aggies. He also has rushed for six scores.
Reed’s stellar season reminds Missouri coach Eliah Drinkwitz of the recruiting process.
“I’ve believed in Marcel Reed for a long time,” Drinkwitz said. “I was first on the bandwagon. He’s a really good player. You can tell the guys love playing for him. They love playing around him. When he makes a mistake, he bounces back and keeps on going. The moment is never too big.”
Meanwhile, the Tigers have lost two of their past three games following a 5-0 start.
Freshman quarterback Matt Zollers will make his first career start after Beau Pribula was lost to a dislocated ankle during a 17-10 road loss to then-No. 10 Vanderbilt on Oct. 25.
Zollers replaced Pribula and completed 14 of 23 passes for 138 yards and a touchdown after entering in the third quarter. The coaches then worked extensively during the bye week to incorporate things into the playbook that will be a fit with Zollers’ style of play.
Drinkwitz said he liked the poise Zollers displayed against the Commodores. He also was impressed with the throws.
“The No. 1 talent that Matt has is his arm,” Drinkwitz said. “I think the way the ball jumps off his hand, I think we all can see it. He’s got really good arm talent. There’s no defense for the perfect throw. That’s just the reality of it.”
Standout running back Ahmad Hardy can take pressure off Zollers with another productive day. He ranks fourth in the nation with 937 rushing yards and is tied for fifth with 11 rushing touchdowns.
Elko said his team is preparing for a Missouri squad that will be immensely fired up.
“In terms of Missouri — this is the challenge that you have in college football today, they’re still very much alive for the playoff,” Elko said. “This is a playoff game for them. They obviously know they’re going to have to win out in order probably to get in. So this is a huge opportunity for them at home on a big stage.”
The Aggies routed then-No. 9 Missouri 41-10 last season in College Station, Texas.
