by Travis Normand

Last week I posted about Dennis Dodd ranking the Aggies number one in his very early 2013 pre-season poll.  As it turns out, Dodd is not the only one with high-praise for Texas A&M.  Andy Staples, of SI.com, produced his very early 2013 pre-season poll and has the Aggies at number two (behind Alabama at number one).

See Andy Staples’ early top 25 for 2013

While I am sure the Aggies will enjoy all the pre-season attention, Staples goes out of his way to demonstrate the point I made in my post about Dodd’s top 25.  My point was that while these polls are somewhat accurate/credible, they primarily serve as a means to drive internet readership/traffic during the off-season.  What better way to drive up your website’s hits than to put a team, with a large and excited fan base, in the number one or two spot.

Regardless, as of January 23, 2013, the Aggies have one first-place vote, and one second place vote.  Not bad.