Texas A&M’s (4-2, 2-1 SEC) road matchup at Rocky Top carries more stakes than simply getting back into the win column. According to one college football reporter, it could have ramifications for A&M’s head coach.
ESPN’s Chris Low appeared on McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning, where he expressed his belief that Texas A&M’s game against Tennessee will be critical for Jimbo Fisher:
“I think this is the difference in A&M still being a 9-plus win team and then flirting with .500…It’s that type of swing game for the Aggies because if you lose two straight, you lose on the road, you’ve still got some tough games remaining, you wonder where this team emotionally gets to.”
Low also dived into the further ramifications of Saturday’s final score. More specifically, he noted that if the Aggies drop two games in a row, it would undoubtedly leave a sour taste in the mouths of those in Aggieland, most notably those up top:
“If this team loses two in a row, they’re going to have a hard time having a winning record, or certainly flirting with that six, seven-win type season. And I don’t know how well that’s going to go over in Aggieland after having a losing record last year.”
Low’s comments come off the heels of ESPN, and SEC Network reporter Laura Rutledge echoing the same tune. Both agree that A&M’s matchup with Tennessee, however it ends, will likely determine the trajectory for the rest of the season. The fact that Jimbo Fisher has yet to win a true SEC road game since 2021, only magnifies the stakes at play at Neyland Stadium.
A College Football Playoff appearance may be off the table for A&M, but a run at the SEC title is still in play. Most imperative is the possibility of a winning season, which Fisher and the Aggies desperately need after their 2022 debacle.
There’s no way to sugarcoat it: an A&M loss to the Vols would very much put this football program in a frustrating spot, with the outside noise surrounding Fisher’s job security overwhelming the need to close out the season strong.
The only remedy for that problematic scenario is to have this team ready to execute in all three phases of the game against a raucous sea of orange at Rocky Top. Simply put, that falls on Jimbo Fisher.
Texas A&M and Tennessee kickoff from inside Neyland Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 14 at 2:30 p.m. CT, and the game will air on CBS.
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