The story of the week in college football was one-loss Texas A&M being ranked above undefeated Washington in the first College Football Playoff Rankings.
That controversy has come to an end after only five days. The Aggies could not beat Mississippi State on Saturday, falling on the road to the Bulldogs 35-28. The Aggies could not stop the Bulldogs' rushing attack as Mississippi State racked up 367 yards on the ground on 57 carries (6.7 yards per carry).
Quarterback Nick Fitzgerald led the way for the Bulldogs with 182 yards on 20 carries and a pair of rushing touchdowns. Running back Aeris Williams had 24 carries for 140 yards and one touchdown. Fitzgerald also threw for over 200 yards and two touchdowns, but a pair of interceptions thrown in the end zone made the game even closer than it could have been.
Texas A&M's offense struggled to move the ball consistently and was kept in the game by some big plays by Christian Kirk, who had a 92-yard punt return touchdown late in the second quarter to bring the Aggies to within two scores of the Bulldogs at halftime and then a 53-yard touchdown catch for the biggest pass play of the day in the fourth quarter.
A big blow to Texas A&M was starting quarterback Trevor Knight suffering an injury late in the second quarter that knocked him out of the game and took away the Aggies' option running dynamic. Jake Hubenak was forced to play the entire second half with Knight in a sling on the sideline. Hubenak, not the runner Knight is, had only 2 yards on seven carries, which took away a dimension of the Aggies' offensive attack.
The loss solves the biggest controversy facing the CFP Selection Committee. Washington, should it beat Cal late Saturday night, will be the obvious choice for the No. 4 slot. Texas A&M's argument was that it had better wins and a loss to the clear No. 1 team in the country. Now, with a loss to a Mississippi State team that has struggled this season, the Aggies will see a big drop in the rankings and are out of the playoff picture.
