Coming into the 2016 season, many pundits considered Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin’s seat to be at least a little warm. Consecutive seasons of 5-0 starts that concluded with 3-5 finishes left some wondering if the Aggies needed to be better under their head coach, given the recruiting classes hauled in and resources at Sumlin’s fingertips.
A 7-1 start and a debut at No. 4 in the 2016 College Football Playoff selection committee rankings largely quieted any such talk and the Aggies appeared to take a significant step forward. That was, until, a disastrous month of November that included an 0-3 SEC record, an 8-4 finish and even more questions as to whether Sumlin is the man who will take the Aggies one step further, into SEC West and SEC title contention.