Barrett Sallee: Jimbo facing put-up or shut-up in 2020

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Jimbo Fisher replaced Kevin Sumlin as Texas A&M coach prior to the 2018 season with one definitive goal: win a national championship. As if that goal wasn't made apparent by the lucrative 10-year, $75 million contract Fisher received, Texas A&M chancellor John Sharp presented Fisher with an undated national championship plaque.

Through two seasons, though, Fisher's record in College Station has been very Sumlin-ish. His 17 wins in two seasons are three fewer than Sumlin had during his first two seasons and only two more than Sumlin tallied during his final two seasons in Aggieland.

Worth the $75 million price tag? Not yet. Not even close.

"Yet" is the operative word entering the 2020 season, however, because the window is wide open in the SEC West for the Aggies to waltz through and become relevant in college football's toughest division.

The Aggies return 16 starters, which ties for most in the SEC. They have the most experienced quarterback in the conference in Mond, four starters on the offensive line, wide receiver Jhamon Ausbon (872 yards in 2019) and a veteran front seven led by defensive lineman Bobby Brown III and linebacker Buddy Johnson.

The combination of experience and roster talent means that Texas A&M not only has depth but that Fisher should have already created the culture of competition that top-tier teams need in order to contend for the national title. Internally, that might be the case. But "might" has to be removed from the previous sentence, and probably should have already disappeared based upon the school's investment in Fisher.



The paths to Atlanta and beyond need to be smooth, and there aren't many road blocks for Fisher and the Aggies. Their permanent cross-division game is an average-at-best South Carolina team, rotating cross-division game is lowly Vanderbilt and its power five out-of-conference opponent is an average Colorado team that changed head coaches. On top of that, games at Alabama and at home vs. LSU are during the final two weeks of the regular season.

What does that mean? It means that Fisher and Texas A&M should be in the thick of the SEC West and College Football Playoff races deep into the final month of the season.

Simply put, the 2020 season is put-up or shut-up time for Jimbo.

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