We're close to putting Texas A&M's historically bad loss to Kentucky behind us and focusing on the Aggies' all-important road matchup vs. LSU on Saturday night, needing to defeat the Tigers in Death Valley for a second consecutive season to have any realistic shot at making it back to the College Football Playoff, which sounds extremely far-fetched after Saturday's loss.
Still, it's hard to know what teams are truly elite after three weeks of chaos, beginning with Oregon's road loss to Oklahoma State and Oklahoma's road loss to Michigan, while the Aggies' struggles against Kentucky have placed them in a spot that none of us who cover the program expected after last season's historic run.
After leading 7-0 early in the game, Kentucky tied things
up before the half and took complete control in the second half, outscoring A&M 21-0 before the Aggies made a short-lived run that virtually ended after starting quarterback Marcel Reed threw his second interception of the day.
With the loss, Texas A&M dropped at least twelve spots in the US LBM Coaches Poll (No. 20) and to No. 23 in the AP Top 25, while many in the national media believed the Aggies deserved to enter Week 4 unranked. On Monday, A&M unsurprisingly dropped 14 spots to No. 22 in ESPN's updated Power Rankings, while ESPN Texas writer Dave Wilson explained that massive change.
"Kentucky jumped to a 28-7 lead at Kyle Field, with quarterback Kenny Minchey going 14-of-18 for 252 yards, and the Aggies couldn't mount a comeback. Marcel Reed struggled, going 26-of-49, 236 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions, and had several misfires on short throws. Coach Mike Elko said there were no positives in this performance and compared Reed's struggles to a pitcher who can't throw strikes, and Reed agreed. A night game at Baton Rouge against LSU on Saturday will be quite a test for A&M to get things straightened out."
With the new nine-game SEC schedule in full swing, the Aggies have zero room for error remaining, needing to defeat LSU before hosting Arkansas for a primetime matchup in Week 5. Buckle up, folks.
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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Texas A&M drops more than a dozen spots in ESPN's Power Rankings
