Texas A&M finishes at No. 4 in final AP Top 25

The college football season ended in all too familiar fashion, with Alabama cruising to a 52-24 win en route to a national championship. And when I say that Bama winning a game 52-24 is familiar, I mean it’s REALLY familiar. Shortly after the game ended and the Crimson Tide were yet again crowned champions, the Associated Press released their final Top 25 rankings for the 2021 season. Despite being left out of the Playoff, the final rankings saw Texas A&M rise from No. 5 to No. 4, achieving their highest season-ending ranking since they finished at No. 1 in 1939.

The Aggies managed to overtake No. 4 Notre Dame (a Playoff spot that many Aggie fans thought should have been theirs), after Notre Dame suffered a 17-point loss to Alabama and the Aggies won the Capital One Orange Bowl 41-27 over North Carolina (who finished at No. 18).

While A&M certainly has higher aspirations that involve SEC Championship Games and the College Football Playoff, the importance of this season can’t be understated. By finishing in the top four, Jimbo Fisher has accomplished something at A&M that Kevin Sumlin never did. That R.C. Slocum never did. That Jackie Sherrill, Tom Wilson, Emory Bellard and Bear Bryant never did. Aggie fans rightfully hope that this is a stepping stone to even greater success, but let’s also take a moment to revel in this season’s greatness:

• Since 1920, no Texas A&M coach has a higher win percentage than Jimbo Fisher (.722)
• This was only the third Aggie team since 1960 to win 90% or more of their games (joining 1992 and 1994)
• Since joining the SEC, Texas A&M is one of only ten programs with multiple top-five finishes
• Since 2010, TCU and Texas A&M are the only programs in Texas to finish in the top five, both having done it twice.

2020 was a great year for the Aggies. The No. 4 finish is just the cherry on top.