Paul Finebaum thinks Texas' success will 'really bug' Texas A&M

The disappointing 5-7 finish for Texas A&M last season resulted in louder conversations regarding the future of Aggies’ head coach Jimbo Fisher with the program. Fisher has not been able to reap the benefits of his impressive 2022 recruiting class that ranked No. 1 in the nation according to On3’s Industry Recruiting Rankings, and the team’s most recent 48-33 loss to Miami only increased the temperature of his hot seat.

College football analyst Paul Finebaum joined Bruce Feldman and Stewart Mandel on ‘The Audible with Stew & Bruce’ and spoke about the future of Fisher with the Aggies. And Finebaum believes that what’s currently happening in Austin, Texas could have an impact on Fisher’s future in College Station.

“I was out Friday night at a rooftop bar, [Nick] Saban‘s hotel by the way, in Tuscaloosa with Texas people. And I haven’t spent that much time with Texas people, but I mean I was shocked. There was money coming off of everybody in that group, it was all Texas,” Finebaum said.

Texas’ 34-24 win over Alabama over the weekend dominated the headlines, as they now rank No. 4 in the country and have many believing early in the season that Texas is officially “back.”

The Longhorns’ success may seem unrelated to Fisher and the Aggies, but Texas joining the SEC next season while trending upward as Texas A&M is trending downward definitely could add more pressure on the program to possibly pivot in a different direction from a coaching standpoint.

“And what’s going on in Austin is really going to really bug people in College Station, they do not like the idea of them giving Texas a road map to come in the SEC and have them be better than them,” Finebaum said. “So I don’t think they’ll tolerate it, so I know I haven’t quite answered your question, but if this number is below nine or eight [wins], I don’t know how in the world he [Fisher] would survive.”

Fisher is in the midst of his sixth year with Texas A&M and hosts three straight conference games versus Auburn, Arkansas (in AT&T Stadium), and Alabama after the team’s Week 3 matchup against Louisiana-Monroe this weekend.

There’s no doubt those games could be pivotal in his future with the program, but so could the success of the Texas Longhorns, as it will be interesting to see how the two coincide throughout the remainder of the season.