Texas A&M fell from its Top 10 perch after getting thumped at Mississippi State, 48-31, on Saturday.

The Associated Press Top 25 dropped the Aggies from No. 6 to No. 14. The Coaches Poll followed suit, slotting Kevin Sumlin’s team at No. 14, a seven-spot drop.

Auburn, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Alabama and Georgia rank ahead of A&M in the polls.

The team’s defense struggled with Dak Prescott, Josh Robinson, De’Runnya Wilson and company, but the Bulldogs have scored 49, 34, 35, 34 and 48 points. A&M still has problems defending the read option, but there’s no major shame there. However, after such a torrid start, for the offense to hang 31 points in six quarters the last two weeks is concerning.

The Aggies now have trailed 28-14 (Arkansas) and 48-17 (Mississippi State) in the fourth quarter in consecutive weeks, adding a pair of late touchdowns in each game. A&M now must play three more SEC West teams ranked in the Top 10 in the next month or so.

The season-opening win against South Carolina looks less impressive after the Gamecocks lost to Kentucky and Missouri and played a competitive game against Vanderbilt, and beating Lamar, Rice and SMU proved little. So it’s possible the last two games are more indicative of this team’s true ability.

The good news is Texas A&M has several opportunities to impress recruits and voters with wins against teams at the forefront of the national consciousness. The bad news? The Aggies could lose any or all of those games.