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TEXAS A&M

Aggies reach best-ever ranking of No. 2 in women's AP Top 25

2, its highest ranking ever in The Associated Press women's college basketball poll, a day after winning its first Southeastern Conference regular-season title. 5 South Carolina on Sunday to win the conference title and then moved up a spot in the Top 25. AdBaylor, South Carolina, Maryland, UCLA and Indiana were the next five. The Aggies snapped a seven-game losing streak to South Carolina on Sunday. ___More AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

No. 3 A&M beats No. 5 South Carolina 65-57 for SEC title

Aaliyah Wilson scored 17 points and N’dea Jones added 16 to lead Texas A&M to a 65-57 win over fifth-ranked South Carolina to give the Aggies their first regular-season Southeastern Conference title. Texas A&M (22-1, 13-1 SEC) snapped a seven-game skid against South Carolina and finished the season 13-0 at home after playing in front of a season-high 2,700 on Sunday. The Aggies outscored South Carolina (19-4, 14-2) 19-8 in the third quarter to take a commanding lead before the Gamecocks get back in it late. AdThe Aggies added a basket after that before South Carolina got its first field goal of the second half on a layup by Lele Grissett a few seconds later. A 5-0 run by Texas A&M, with another 3 by Nixon, came next to make it 52-37 and spur South Carolina Staley to call a timeout.

NC State, Texas A&M move up in women's AP Top 25; UConn tops

North Carolina State returned to the No. 2 spot and Texas A&M climbed to third after South Carolina and Louisville — the previous second- and third-ranked teams — lost games. Coach Gary Blair's team can win the Southeastern Conference regular-season title with victories over Alabama on Thursday and South Carolina on Sunday. The Scarlet Knights play at Michigan State and Penn State this week. South Carolina, Mississippi State and Tennessee are the only teams to win the regular-season crown since the Aggies entered the conference in 2012.

The Latest: Texas A&M men's hoops has 7th postponement

It’s the seventh consecutive postponement for A&M, which hasn’t played since beating Kansas State 68-61 on Jan. 30 in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge. The SEC has built in March 5-7 to make up games postponed because of COVID-19 protocols, but no makeup date has been determined. Kentucky’s Dec. 29 SEC game against South Carolina was also postponed. The school said Saturday that the Tar Heels will host Marquette on Wednesday, which comes after they had a fourth game postponed in Atlantic Coast Conference play. AdLast week the school added a nonconference game against Northeastern two days ahead of time after a game against No.

Texas A&M runs past North Carolina in Orange Bowl, 41-27

Texas A&M head coach Jumbo Fisher raises his hands during the trophy presentation at the Orange Bowl NCAA college football game, Saturday, Jan. 2, 2021, in Miami Gardens, Fla. Texas A&M defeated North Carolina 41-27. 14 North Carolina 41-27 on Saturday night — capping a winless bowl season for the Atlantic Coast Conference. North Carolina: The Tar Heels gave up 24 points in the fourth quarter, after allowing just 17 points in the first 45 minutes. North Carolina still could finish ranked for only the fourth time in the last 27 seasons. North Carolina: An ACC opponent likely awaits in Week 1 next season.

Texas A&M, North Carolina look forward, await Orange Bowl

13 CFP) in the 87th edition of the Orange Bowl. “I always say this: The Orange Bowl is as good as it gets,” Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher said Friday. Thing is, neither of those running backs — Michael Carter and Javonte Williams — chose to play in the Orange Bowl. “That’s 4,000 yards worth of offense and our leading tackler on defense and two captains,” North Carolina coach Mack Brown said. With them gone, it means even more pressure will be on North Carolina quarterback Sam Howell.

Snubbed by committee, Texas A&M will face UNC in Orange Bowl

It will be North Carolina’s first time in the Orange Bowl, and the first meeting between the schools. You want to be in it but at the same time, we're in the Orange Bowl, man." BOWL WINNERSThe Orange Bowl coaches certainly know how to end seasons with victories. Brown is 14-8 in the postseason, plus has been part of the Orange Bowl twice as an assistant coach. WELCOME BACKFor Fisher, it’s a return to a stadium where he’s gone 6-0 — including a pair of Orange Bowl victories.

Alabama to meet Notre Dame in relocated CFP semifinal game

4 Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff semifinal originally scheduled to serve as the 107th Rose Bowl, the playoff committee announced Sunday. “Our guys recognize what they’ll need to do relative to the mental preparation of playing a great football team in Alabama. But instead of a week amid the pomp and pageantry of the Rose Bowl, the teams will spend their semifinal week in Arlington, Texas. Oregon State beat Duke in Durham, North Carolina, in that version of the Rose Bowl. The festive week of genteel celebrations around the Rose Bowl game had already been mostly canceled.

CFP: Alabama-Notre Dame, Clemson-Ohio St as Aggies left out

Notre Dame was picked Sunday over Texas A&M for the final spot, ending what little drama there had been. Alabama, Notre Dame, Clemson and Ohio State have also held the first four spots in the AP Top 25 since Oct. 25. The Atlantic Coast Conference is the second league to have two teams in the playoff, joining the SEC in 2017. After sitting second in the CFP rankings for a month, Notre Dame was blown out 34-10 by Clemson in the ACC championship. Barta said the disparate number of games played by contenders — along with far fewer cross-conference games than usual —- was a challenge for the committee all season.

No. 5 Texas A&M makes last CFP case in 34-13 win over Vols

5 Texas A&M closed its case for inclusion in the College Football Playoff by mauling Tennessee by three touchdowns. Texas A&M, ranked third in the nation in third-down conversion percentage (55%), didn't punt in the first half. Texas A&M's advantage went to 17-7 when the Aggies turned a Bailey fumble into a 23-yard field goal by Seth Small. Tennessee: After the second game of the season, the Vols were tied with Notre Dame for the longest winning streak among FBS teams. A victory over winless Vanderbilt ended the skid, but the loss to Texas A&M ended the regular season on a sour note.

Mond, No. 5 Texas A&M finish strong in 31-20 win over Auburn

Kellen Mond passed for two touchdowns and ran for a third and the fifth-ranked Aggies scored 17 points in the fourth quarter of a come-from-behind 31-20 victory over Auburn on Saturday. Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher wasn't interested in speculating on how the win might affect his team's playoff chances. He completed 18 of 23 for 196 yards, highlighted by two TDs to Jalen Wydermyer, and ran for 60 yards. The Aggies ran for a season-high 313 yards and held a 16-minute advantage in time of possession. Auburn: Was outgained 168-21 in the fourth quarter.

Ohio State still 4th in CFP rankings after cancellation

Ohio State (4-0) had to cancel its game at Illinois last week because of a spike in COVID-19 cases in the program. HERBSTREIT APOLOGYESPN's Kirk Herbstreit caused a commotion with some of his analysis regarding Ohio State, Michigan and teams using COVID-19 as an excuse to not play. The Wolverines (2-4) are scheduled to host Maryland this week and play at Ohio State on Dec. 12. “I still think Michigan waves the white flag, potentially avoids playing Ohio State next week,” Herbstreit said. the former Ohio State quarterback said.

Miami has 3 games PPD by virus; A&M on pause for 2nd week

So we can complain about this and this and that but, listen, we’re still getting to play football,” Fisher said. Last week, 15 FBS games were called off because of COVID-19, the most yet this season. Major college football conferences have been tweaking policies to provide their schools flexibility to schedule games on short notice. That probably won't work for LSU-Alabama, which was among four SEC games postponed last week. __Follow Ralph D. Russo at https://twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP and listen at https://westwoodonepodcasts.com/pods/ap-top-25-college-football-podcast/___More AP college football: https://apnews.com/Collegefootball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

No. 1 Alabama-LSU, No. 5 Texas A&M-Tennessee postponed

5 Texas A&M at Tennessee will not be played Saturday because of COVID-19 issues, raising the number of Southeastern Conference games postponed this week to three. 24 Auburn's game at Mississippi State was postponed because of COVID-19 positive tests and contact tracing within the Bulldogs' program. Auburn also has “a handful of close contact” cases having to quarantine, in addition to the positive tests, coach Gus Malzahn said. 6 Florida on Saturday after having two positive COVID-19 tests. In the American Athletic Conference, Navy's game at Memphis on Saturday was postponed because of positive COVID-19 tests at the Naval Academy.

The Latest: Tom Izzo tests positive for COVID-19

(AP Photo/Michael Woods)The Latest on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on sports around the world:___Michigan State basketball coach Tom Izzo has tested positive for COVID-19. 20 Auburn and Mississippi State because of positive COVID-19 and quarantining within the Bulldogs’ program that the school says left the team below the minimum threshold of 53 available scholarship athletes. 5 Texas A&M paused in-person activities on Monday after a player and a staff member tested positive for COVID-19 after the team returned from its weekend trip to South Carolina. ___Arkansas football coach Sam Pittman has tested positive for COVID-19 and could miss the Razorbacks’ game at No. Pittman was tested Sunday as part of the team’s regular protocol and learned Monday that his test came back positive.

Gators Breakdown: Does Grantham’s history reveal the drop on defense?

“Third and Grantham” is an often used term when describing Florida defensive coordinator Todd Grantham. After another dismal performance on 3rd down vs Texas A&M last week, the term is only getting used more by fans and rivals alike. David Waters is joined by Will Miles (Read and Reaction) to take a look at the issues on 3rd down for the Gators and also what the history shows us about Grantham’s struggles in that department. Get Gators Breakdown merchandise at https://www.ebay.com/str/gatorsbreakdownLISTEN: Catch up on previous episodes of Gators BreakdownFollow David Waters on Twitter @GatorDave_SEC to stay plugged in, or click one of the following to tune in:Megaphone | Apple Podcasts | YouTube | Google Play | Stitcher

Gators Breakdown: Game Reaction | Texas A&M 41 – Florida 38

Florida suffers their first defeat of the season at the hand of Texas A&M after another dismal performance by the Gators defense. David Waters is joined by Nick de la Torre (Gator Country) and Graham Hall (Gainesville Sun) to review what went wrong on defense and another outstanding showing on offense. Get Gators Breakdown merchandise at https://www.ebay.com/str/gatorsbreakdownLISTEN: Catch up on previous episodes of Gators BreakdownFollow David Waters on Twitter @GatorDave_SEC to stay plugged in, or click one of the following to tune in:Megaphone | Apple Podcasts | YouTube | Google Play | Stitcher

Florida defense can’t stop Texas A&M in 41-38 shootout loss

Florida quarterback Kyle Trask (11) pass down field during the first quarter of an NCAA college football game against Texas A&M, Saturday, Oct. 10, 2020. in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/Sam Craft)COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Jimbo Fisher got his first win against a top-five opponent since taking over at Texas A&M. 21 Texas A&M beat fourth-ranked Florida 41-38 on Seth Small’s 26-yard field goal as time expired Saturday. Texas A&M grinded it out on its next drive, passing just once on a 10-play possession capped by a 3-yard TD from Spiller. Florida led 28-24 early in the fourth when Spiller struck again, running 19 yards for a touchdown on a fourth-and-2 play.

Gators Breakdown: Texas A&M Game Preview 2020

4 Florida Gators take their second road trip of the season against their first ranked opponent at No. David Waters is joined by Cole Thompson (Locked On Aggies Podcast) to preview the Aggies. Jimbo Fisher and Kellen Mond lead an offense that can give the Gators' defense more fits. Kyle Trask looks to continue his great year vs a defense that struggled to stop Alabama’s high-flying attack last week. Get Gators Breakdown merchandise at https://www.ebay.com/str/gatorsbreakdownLISTEN: Catch up on previous episodes of Gators BreakdownFollow David Waters on Twitter @GatorDave_SEC to stay plugged in, or click one of the following to tune in:Megaphone | Apple Podcasts | YouTube | Google Play | Stitcher

Lone Star Sadness: Horns, Aggies form Axis of Underachievers

At the top of USA Today's most recent revenue rankings for college athletic departments are Texas and Texas A&M. Texas and Texas A&M have everything needed to put out a national championship-level football program. The Aggies and Longhorns refuse to play each other but combine to form an Axis of Underachievers in the Lone Star State. In three games against Alabama under Fisher, the Aggies are 0-3 by a combined 144-75. For now, though, Texas and Texas A&M continue to prove the adage that money can't buy happiness.

Jones throws deep, No. 2 Alabama tops No. 13 Texas A&M 52-24

Briefly threatened early, Jones and the Crimson Tide (2-0) flexed their considerable big-play muscle in the passing game to put away the Aggies (1-1). “Our guys stayed the course and kept competing in the game,” Alabama coach Nick Saban said. “We won, so it's a good game,” Jones said, when asked if it was his best performance. Smith, a converted receiver, emerged as another needed threat in the passing game. Alabama: Any questions about production of the Tide's passing game after Tua Tagovailoa, Jerry Jeudy and Henry Ruggs III have been answered.

Week 5 Preview: Top-25 matchups in SEC; ACC title rematch

including the Deep South's Oldest Rivalry, highlights the fifth week of the college football season. 4 Georgia on Saturday night as the second month of the season starts, but only the second week of SEC play. The first of three games that decide the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy might have sneaked up on college football fans. The Falcons will play six conference games to go along with Navy and Army. ___Follow Ralph D. Russo at https://twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP and listen at http://www.westwoodonepodcasts.com/pods/ap-top-25-college-football-podcast/___More AP college football: https://apnews.com/Collegefootball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

East vs West: No. 4 Georgia hosts No. 7 Auburn in SEC tilt

4 Georgia: Two of the SEC’s four top-10 teams meet in an interdivisional matchup in prime time. Both overcame challenges to win their openers, with Georgia rallying for 32 unanswered points with two passing touchdowns by backup quarterback Stetson Bennett to beat Arkansas 37-10. 23 Kentucky for three quarters before pulling away in the fourth for a 29-13 win behind two of Bo Nix's three passing touchdowns. 13 Aggies held Vanderbilt to just 150 yards passing and registered two interceptions, including one in the fourth quarter, to preserve a narrow win. The Wildcats outgained Auburn and played the Tigers tough for three quarters before the game slipped away in the fourth.

Gators Breakdown: Florida draws Texas A&M and Arkansas for 2020

Since the SEC announced a 10-game conference schedule last week, Florida fans have waited to find out which two new non-divisional opponents would be added to the Gators’ schedule. The wait is over and Florida has drawn Arkansas and Texas A&M from the SEC West. Join David Waters for this instant reaction episode as breaks down how the revised schedule affects Florida and the rest of the SEC. LISTEN: Catch up on previous episodes of Gators BreakdownFollow David Waters on Twitter @GatorDave_SEC to stay plugged in, or click one of the following to tune in:Megaphone | Apple Podcasts | YouTube | Google Play | Stitcher

Florida adds Arkansas, Texas A&M to football schedule this year

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Florida completed its regular season opponents list on Friday afternoon as the SEC wrapped up its new-look conference-only schedule. The Gators will travel to Texas A&M and host Arkansas in 2020, the conference announced. The SEC announced last week that it would play a conference-only, 10-game schedule due to COVID-19 safety precautions. "This schedule is a one-year anomaly that we have developed under unique circumstances presented by the impact of COVID-19." Florida had SEC West games on the schedule already against LSU (at home) and then at Mississippi.