ESPN Analyst Puts Texas A&M in Playoff Conversation

One of Texas A&M’s toughest football critics had rare words of praise following the Aggies’ 41-40 upset over then-No. 8 Notre Dame.

ESPN’s Heather Dinich recently spoke at The Paul Finebaum Show about the magnitude of the win at South Bend, even having Mike Elko’s program in contention to be in the College Football Playoff after that historical upset.

The Aggies jumped six spots in the AP Poll, cracking the top 10 for the second time in Elko’s two-year tenure in College Station.

Where Does Heather Dinich Stand on Texas A&M Now?

Texas A&M Aggies tight end Nate Boerkircher. — Texas A&M Aggies tight end Nate Boerkircher (87) celebrates after their win against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Notre Dame Stadium. | Michael Caterina-Imagn Images

A&M’s last-minute, dramatic win over Notre Dame not only earned national respect but also vaulted the Aggies into Dinich’s playoff projections.

“Well, it catapulted them all the way to No. 5 in my prediction on Saturday night of the Committee’s Top-12,” Dinich said, via On3. “That puts them squarely in the conversation. It gives them a non-conference road win that will separate them from a lot of other contenders if they’re fighting for an at-large bid, which they would be if they don’t win the SEC.”

The Aggies may be riding an all-time high after their South Bend stunner, but the road ahead is daunting. Four currently ranked opponents remain on the schedule, not to mention dangerous unranked matchups against Florida and South Carolina.

Beating Notre Dame was a step in the right direction, but Dinich wasn’t shocked by the outcome.

“It didn’t entirely surprise me, to be honest," Dinnich said. "In talking to Mike Elko this preseason about this veteran team? I want to say (he said Texas A&M) had 18 starters coming back, and he talked about how this could be the first year in decades that Texas A&M has double-digit NFL Draft picks on its roster, and that makes your ears perk up... I felt like the Aggies, going into South Bend, were a bit of an underrated team that people weren’t talking about yet, but they certainly are now.”

Dinich’s use of “underrated” is debatable, however. ESPN’s own preseason analytics gave A&M the 11th-best odds (34.3%) to reach the College Football Playoff. Definitely not that underrated.

And those comments are even more intriguing when compared to Dinich’s preseason stance on those very odds.

"Disagree. This is a lot of faith in a team that lost four of its final five games and needed a defensive overhaul," Dinnich said. "The Aggies can make the playoff as an at-large team, but having success against the nation's ninth-toughest schedule will require significant improvement. That can be measured early with a Sept. 13 win against Notre Dame, a team that beat the Aggies at home last season."

Well, that measuring stick has already been cleared, right in front of Touchdown Jesus.

Now, with a bye week to regroup, the Aggies set their sights on Auburn, which rolls into Kyle Field on September 27.