Why is Alabama ranked behind Texas A&M in AP Poll rankings (Week 9)?
The Week 9 AP Poll has been one of the more intriguing polls that fans have seen this season with the movement that teams are dealing with. The Alabama Crimson Tide lost in Week 8 to the Tennessee Volunteers on the road and dropped eight spots to No. 15 in the AP Poll.
They now are below the Texas A&M Aggies, who are No. 14 in the Week 9 AP Poll. Some people are questioning why the Aggies are ahead of the Crimson Tide, so here's a closer look at some of the reasons why.
Why is Alabama below Texas A&M in the Week 9 AP Poll?
#1. Alabama is in free fall right now
Alabama started the season 4-0 and has lost two of its last three Southeastern Conference games while barely scraping by the South Carolina Gamecocks to win the game in between the losses. Things are not trending in the right direction right now for the Roll Tide.
This even extends past the 2-1 record as this free fall essentially took place when they played the Georgia Bulldogs and were outscored 27-11 in the second half of the game. It has been 14 quarters that Alabama has been underwhelming and it has been in SEC play, which makes it difficult going forward.
The AP Poll is also an indication of what they expect, as evident by the Florida State Seminoles late last season. This is going to be interesting as the Crimson Tide are dealing with significant players being injured like Keon Sabb.
#2. Texas A&M has played well this season
It is difficult to expect a team that is currently in the top spot in the Southeastern Conference to not be better than the team that is eighth in the SEC entering Week 9. The Aggies have a 6-1 (4-0 SEC) record right now following their 34-24 win over the Mississippi State Bulldogs.
The road to the SEC Championship seemingly runs through Texas A&M at the moment. They are the better team and even with a massive battle between the top two programs in the conference this Saturday against the LSU Tigers, a win here would solidify the Aggies as a legitimate threat.