Paul Finebaum: Texas being 'back' is a problem for Jimbo Fisher

The state of Texas saw one major non-conference result in the Top-25 go their way while another did not. In Paul Finebaum’s eyes, though, the two are correlated as Texas’ win at Alabama just put a lot on the shoulders of Jimbo Fisher at Texas A&M.

Finebaum made his point during ‘The Matt Barrie Show’ on Sunday afternoon. To him, the national shockwave that Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns made against the Crimson Tide on Saturday put them in prime position to overtake the Aggies as the eventual best team in the SEC out of the Lone Star State.

“One thing that happened yesterday that may have been more important to this conversation than even the result in Miami? That was the first conversation. If Texas really is back? That’s a problem for Jimbo Fisher,” said Finebaum.

“In that state? Yeah, you could say, ‘Who cares about Texas?’ while A&M was getting used to the SEC. But Texas is in the SEC now. That was the greatest source of pride for the Aggies,” said Finebaum. “‘We got in the SEC, we had Johnny Manziel, we beat Alabama’. We didn’t do a lot of great things but we did a couple of good things while Texas was mired in mediocrity. And, because of us, they decided to get in the SEC. That was all the narrative. That’s gone now, shattered.”

Texas went into Bryant-Denny Stadium last night and staked their claim as one of the best teams in the country with a 34-24 win. A 48-33 loss by Texas A&M on their trip to Coral Gables to play Miami preceded that massive win for the Longhorns.

Those two data points may not be connected at the very moment. However, with Texas coming to the SEC soon, they could eventually be a through line for how people in the state view the hierarchy of their football teams.

“In one night in Tuscaloosa, Sark moved forward. And Jimbo Fisher, on the way home, had to be sick to his stomach realizing what that means to him,” Finebaum said. “It adds significant pressure now.”

Finebaum: Fisher’s buyout will not be a factor if A&M is mediocre again

Paul Finebaum thinks a fresh face could take over Texas A&M in the near future.

Fans are furious with Jimbo Fisher after the Aggies fell 48-33 to an unranked Miami squad on Saturday. Finebaum believes it won’t take much more disappointment for the tides to shift in College Station.

“I mean every conversation about Jimbo Fisher — I feel like we’re on Wall Street on Jim Cramer’s report,” Finebaum said on ‘The Matt Barrie Show’. “You have to talk about money. And, at some point, A&M officials have to look and go, ‘Oh, are we going to let $75 million affect the progress of this program?’”

Finebaum can’t blame the people in College Station for tiring from the losing.

“At the end of the season, if A&M is looking at a mediocre record? That $75 million will not be a factor,” Finebaum said. “Presidents don’t make those decisions in places like Texas A&M. It’s the guys with the cowboy hats.”

“I don’t think (Fisher) will be able to survive if they don’t reach a certain mark. It’s a little bit hard to tell on September 10 what that number is. But if they are losing games like this on a consistent basis? Then he has no future.”