Texas A&M’s 2023 football season has become the offseasons’ hottest talking point, headlined by the program’s attempt to rebound after their underwhelming 2022 5-7 (2-6 SEC) campaign, combined with Jimbo Fisher’s hiring of Bobby Petrino as the new offensive coordinator, which after merely existing as a simple news story last December, has resulted in an apparent “battle of the egos.’ between Fisher and Petrino.
Earlier this week, CBS Sports writer Chip Patterson compiled an informative list compiled of every team he believes is the most difficult to place in the upcoming major preseason poll releases next month, and to no surprise, Texas A&M’s 2022 results put any progress on hold, making them one of the more confusing teams to gauge ahead of their Sept. 2 season opener.
To accurately create his list, Patterson utilized several trusted college football experts and magazines, who have already released their preseason rankings ahead of AP and USA Today Sports.
“For our research, we were not limited to only traditional preseason magazines but some early power ratings and rankings as well for additional input. What we’ve found are seven teams that will be receiving significant top-25 consideration heading into the year … but with enough question marks to spark some real debate on where they fall. We’ll begin near the top of the rankings and work our way down, analyzing the reasons no one can seem to agree on each team.”
Focusing on Texas A&M’s 2022 offensive woes, ranking 101st in the country last season, Patterson geared his focus toward just how successful Jimbo Fisher and Bobby Petrino’s pairing will transpire in 2023 and if both offensive mindsets can avoid clashing instead of fusing.
“Jimbo Fisher’s time at SEC Media Days already brought this unique pairing into focus, with neither confirmation nor a denial on whether he would be handing over the play-calling duties to Petrino, the high-profile offensive coordinator hire that many Texas A&M fans have called for in recent years. While Texas A&M has been recruiting at a high level since Fisher arrived, the results — aside from a top-five finish in 2020 — have been middling, with a 5-7 showing in 2022 providing the “rock bottom” moment that sparked the hire of Petrino.
If you believe that Texas A&M’s close losses will flip to wins with the change in offensive approach, then Texas A&M occupies a spot in the top 15, with Phil Steele positioning the Aggies as high as No. 11. But the Aggies also check in at No. 20 (Athlon) and No. 30 (Lindy’s) in other rankings as those publications take a wait-and-see approach to what should be a bounce-back year in College Station.”
Fisher may not have explicitly stated that he would relinquish the play-calling duties to Petrino, but look, he hired him for that reason, and for those who watched the Maroon and White Spring game, Bobby Petrino’s presence in both offenses was hard to miss.
2022, as Patterson reminded us, was indeed an all-time-low in Fisher’s tenure with the program, and let’s be honest; with a loaded returning roster, ranked 8th in the country in returning production with 16 starters coming back (eight offense, eight defense), outside of a complete catastrophe, a rebound from five measly wins is almost guaranteed.
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