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Texas A&M Football: Jimbo Fisher, Aggies becoming college football’s new villain

By Matthew Bartlett

GAINESVILLE, FL - NOVEMBER 25: Head coach Jimbo Fisher of the Florida State Seminoles reacts during the game against the Florida Gators at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on November 25, 2017 in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by Rob Foldy/Getty Images)
GAINESVILLE, FL - NOVEMBER 25: Head coach Jimbo Fisher of the Florida State Seminoles reacts during the game against the Florida Gators at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on November 25, 2017 in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by Rob Foldy/Getty Images) /
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Texas A&M football is intent on casting their program in a new light, a move which has stirred up criticism and angst among their detractors.

Texas A&M has been a decent to subpar football program for a long while. It’s been more than half a century since the Aggies won their last (and only) national title. That context makes their recent push for relevancy somewhat puzzling. Nevertheless, the new-look Aggies are intent on rocking the boat and challenging the status quo.

After winning one Big 12 conference title the Aggies made the jump to the SEC. In doing so they threw their proverbials hat into a ring that included some of the richest tradition in the sport.

Fast forward six years. Texas A&M has a Heisman winner, a national championship caliber head coach and enough moxy to sink a sizable ship. Folks inside the program are throwing the “C” word around, Championship, like it’s a forgone conclusion. After decades of mediocrity the arrow is finally pointing up again in College Statio. A lot of people don’t like it.

People say they like Cinderella stories — and we do on a cursory level — but the ratings bear out that the blue bloods of college football draw the most eyeballs. Ohio State, Alabama, USC and even Texas A&M’s rival up in Austin receive a level of national attention that necessitates relevancy. The same hasn’t been true for Texas A&M, and now the Aggies are trying to break through that ceiling and turn themselves into a blue blood program. That’s a lot of change in a short amount of time

This self-imposed edict to become one of college football’s heavyweights has been a significant turnoff to rival fanbases and media personalities. “Go back to where you came from” and “stop pretending to be something you’re not” has been the rallying cry of the masses since Jimbo Fisher arrived in College Station last winter. This hasn’t deterred the Aggies. Instead, its galvanized the program to channel the animosity and turn it into fuel.

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Texas A&M is intent on upsetting the balance of power. Thusly, they’ve branded themselves as college football’s heel. They know it, and they’re fine with the mantel.

In the eyes of the decision makers in College Station this isn’t duplicity, it’s a legitimate step change. If Texas A&M succeeds they’ll be chastised for “buying” a championship. If they fail they’ll be ridiculed for trying. Either way, there will be no love lost for the Aggies in the coming years. However, none of that matters if you’re sitting at the top of the mountain with a College Football Playoff National Chmapionship trophy in your hand. And that’s precisely where they intend to be.