The Texas A&M football team returned from a bye this week with a conference road matchup at struggling Mississippi State, which was much closer than it should've been.

The No. 14 Aggies (6-1, 4-0 SEC) beat the Bulldogs (1-6, 0-4) by a final score of 34-24 on Saturday evening at Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville. While any double-digit victory in the SEC may look impressive on paper, this win was anything but that.

With Texas A&M well-rested following the week off, the Aggies should've dominated. Junior quarterback Conner Weigman's fourth quarter interception brought the game within one score and more stressful than it should've been.

It would have been one thing if Texas A&M jumped out to a big lead, put its backups in and the final score was closer than the matchup truly was. A prime example of that was the conference victory at Florida earlier this year.

Ultimately, the Aggies won their sixth game in a row and remained unbeaten in conference play, which is nothing to be scoffed at. However, if Texas A&M plans to be a true contender and qualify for the expanded College Football Playoff this season, the Aggies need to take care of lesser opponents early.

Otherwise, the top-ranked Longhorns will embarrass Texas A&M to conclude the regular season at Kyle Field in November and squash any hopes for the program's first national championship in the modern era.

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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Instant reactions to No. 14 Texas A&M football team's win over Mississippi State