COLLEGE STATION -- The embers of the rivalry between Texas A&M and LSU were stoked shortly after Jimbo Fisher stepped off a plane in College Station last December.
It more or less started when Fisher almost landed one of the top recruits in the country. It continued in January, when LSU gave its defensive coordinator a massive raise to keep A&M from prying him away. It even lasted into February, when A&M beat the Tigers for a 4-star quarterback in Fisher's first signing class.
All of this was months before the Aggies' new coach had a chance to do something to really turn the heat up on A&M's relationship with its SEC West rival -- win.