The first College Football Playoff rankings arrived Tuesday night, and Ohio State landed at the top. Indiana came in second. Texas A&M sat third. That order sparked an immediate argument among ESPN’s studio analysts, with two of them making the case that the Aggies belong ahead of both teams currently ranked above them.
Booger McFarland, the former NFL defensive tackle turned analyst, didn’t hold back when host Rece Davis asked about Ohio State’s best victory. McFarland argued that when comparing what teams have actually accomplished this season, Texas A&M has done more than the Buckeyes.
The Aggies enter this week unbeaten at 8-0, having already knocked off Notre Dame on the road. The win which now appeared valuable as the Irish are ranked No. 10 despite their two losses.
Texas A&M also beat Missouri and has looked solid in most of their games. Joey Galloway, the former Ohio State wide receiver, took a different angle but arrived at the same conclusion with McFarland. He noted that the numbers favor Texas A&M over both teams ranked ahead of them.
The fact that the committee placed them third told Galloway something specific about how this committee operates. They’re leaning heavily on subjective evaluation rather than measurable data, and that makes the whole process harder to predict.
Greg McElroy, the former Alabama quarterback, defended the committee’s top ranking. As he acknowledged the questions around Ohio State’s schedule but pointed to their victory over Texas as the difference. The discussion, captured in a video shared by Carter Karels on X (formerly Twitter):
The CFP rankings discussion about Texas A&M, Ohio State and Indiana from ESPN’s Rece Davis, Booger McFarland, Joey Galloway and Greg McElroy.
Booger: “Texas A&M’s resume, the way they look, what they’ve done, deserves to be No. 1.”
Galloway: “If we are going on rankings and… pic.twitter.com/lh4D0WjfCN
— Carter Karels (@CarterKarels) November 5, 2025
Ohio State’s Thin Resume Becomes Focal Point of Heated Debate
Davis started the conversation by challenging the premise that Ohio State hasn’t played anyone. “So to your point about teams that hadn’t played anybody, who’s Ohio State’s best win?” he asked.
McElroy responded quickly. “Well, Texas, who’s ranked 10th,” he said. “Illinois is not bad. Yeah, I truly understand it.”
The answer didn’t satisfy to McFarland, who saw Texas A&M’s body of work as superior to what Ohio State has done through eight games. “To Joey’s point, I think Texas A&M’s résumé, the way they look, what they’ve done deserves to be number one,” McFarland said.
“I think when you look at Indiana going on the road, outs in beat Oregon, even had an opportunity. I would put them number one. Don’t know if I’d put Ohio State number one based on what they’ve done. Now they still have road in front of them, but to Joey’s point, Indiana, Texas A&M, I think they’ve done more so far.”
Ohio State may have more talent and more potential, but the Aggies have beaten better opponents in tougher environments. Indiana knocked off Oregon in Eugene. Texas A&M beat Notre Dame on the road, the victory which looks better every week.
The rankings will shift in the coming weeks as teams face tougher opponents. Ohio State plays Penn State and Michigan before the season ends. Indiana has road games that could trip them up. Texas A&M faces a brutal stretch. Those games will answer some of these questions and create new ones.
