Where Does Texas A&M Go From Here?

A lost season in Aggieland leaves much uncertainty for the program moving toward 2023.

Remember August? Remember Week Zero of the college football season? 

Good times.

Remember back when the Texas A&M Aggies were the preseason No. 6 team in the nation? The idea of missing a bowl game and finishing below .500 was considered a "worst-case scenario" and the attention was rather fixated on if the Aggies could compete for a national title. 

Good times. 

Times that feel like ages ago at this point entering the final two weeks of the season. 

The Aggies' worst nightmare came to life for the 12th Man Faithful following a 13-10 loss to Auburn. Sitting at 3-7 overall and 1-6 in conference play, Texas A&M won't be going bowling. It might not win another Power 5 game in 2022 with No. 6 LSU coming to town on Thanksgiving weekend. 

From riding high off a No. 1 recruiting class in November to hitting rock bottom a year later, it doesn't get much lower for the program. Then again, everyone knows who's the culprit behind the madness that occurred in 2022. 

And he's set to make over $9 million per year through 2036. 

“That’s the first time ever in my life, too. It’s disappointing,” fifth-year Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher postgame. “We’ve got to go back to work and fix it and get better.”

Losing to a quality SEC team on the road is one thing. Albeit the Tigers (4-6, 2-5 SEC) have been known for their ability to win on the recruiting trail and produce consistent eight-to-nine-win seasons, this isn't one of those times. 

Auburn fired head coach Bryan Harsin less than two years into his tenure after posting a 9-12 record. Over 50 of the program's top recruits since 2019 departed the school within that span, and booster orchestrated a witch hunt in the offseason in hopes of finding just cause to fire him without being attached to his $15.8 million buyout. 

If Fisher's buyout hovered around $15.8 — maybe even $25-30 million — perhaps Saturday would have marked his final game in Aggieland. Under interim coach Carnell "Cadillac" Williams, the Tigers are 1-1 but have scored 52 points while taking Mississippi State to overtime. 

A swing one way and Auburn could be sitting at 2-0 under a position coach who's set to make $400,000 this season. The Aggies finished with 84 yards in the second half, 80 of which came on the final drive capped off by a Conner Weigman 17-yard touchdown pass to Jalen Preston. 

“We’re just making mistakes and missing assignments. There’s no other excuse for it,” A&M offensive lineman Layden Robinson said. 

There's no denying A&M's status as an SEC bottom-dweller for the remainder of the season. Entering Week 12, the Aggies are the only program in the conference to be ineligible for a bowl game. Missouri, which played close against Georgia and Auburn in Weeks 4 and 5, respectively, cannot afford to lose its last two games to New Mexico State and Arkansas. 

Vanderbilt, which hadn't won a conference game since Week 7 of 2019 against Mizzou, nabbed a 24-21 win over No. 24 Kentucky in Lexington. And yes, the Commodores' chances are slim to end their four-year bowl skid, but at least they have a fighting chance heading into Saturday's matchup against Florida. 

The Aggies' offense is averaging 21.1 points per game, their fewest total since 2001. The program is on its longest losing streak since 1972 and will finish below .500 for the first time since 2008. 

The man behind it all? Fisher, who still is certain that his offense will click in the future. Against the second-worst run defense in the conference, the Aggies totaled 94 rushing yards. They finished with 215 total yards and picked 12 first downs. 

That's not good enough. Fisher knows it. His staff knows it and likely understands that change is internal this off-season. 

“We’ll evaluate everything,” Fisher said of his immediate plans following the season finale on Nov. 26. 

Fisher's philosophies on certain resolutions much change as well. The Aggies were down three of their top stars for most of the game. Running back Devon Achane was ruled out with a foot injury before kickoff while tight end Max Wright suffered a wrist injury during the first half. 

Moose Muhammad III, however, was healthy but was benched due to his failure to shed his arm sleeves before kickoff.

“I want to clear the air,” Muhammad tweeted. “I was benched for wearing sleeves – something that my teammates and opponents wear frequently for protection. I apologize to my teammates and fans and looking forward to getting back on the field.”

Arm sleeves over victories? That's one way to look at it, Jimbo. 

The season is lost for A&M, but what does the future entail? Hopefully, a win against Massachusetts is on the horizon but never say never with this offense taking the field. After all, this was a team that lost 17-14 to Appalachian State in Week 2, a program on a two-game losing streak and sitting at .500 in Sun Belt play. 

Change is coming to College Station. Will it be the right one? Can Fisher create a winning formula once more that mirrors that of the 2020 Orange Bowl season, or was that just a one-and-done season? 

All things are on the table this offseason, according to Fisher. One thing that isn't is his status as head coach. The cost of his buyout all but guarantees one more year in Aggieland.

That in itself could be a concern, but it's one the Aggies will have to take head-on to make sure 2022 is not the new standard.

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