Dear Aggies,

It’s funny, bringing on board a proven winner like Jimbo Fisher would normally make a fan base go bonkers about the upcoming football season. But I’m not seeing that, at least not from those of you who put their heart on their sleeve through the various social media sources.

Maybe it’s guarded optimism. Maybe it’s a realistic view of things. Wouldn’t that be a novel approach. Or perhaps a good portion of the Texas A&M fan base is simply jaded; jaded by years of frustration from a school that spends multi-millions on a program that still has yet to produce.

Whatever the reason, the anticipation isn’t nearly as high for the upcoming season as it should be for a program that is doing what it needs to do to compete in the arms race we call college football. Because, well folks, let me put it to you this way: if Jimbo can’t do it, it ain’t gonna happen. Certainly not for a decade anyway, that’s how long Fisher is under contract.

To be clear, it won’t happen in 2018, and that understanding surely must be the driving force for near apathy among the visible fan base thus far.

And what Aggies fans must guard against — this won’t be easy — is comparing Fisher to Georgia’s Kirby Smart, who won an SEC title and played for a national championship in only his second season with the Bulldogs.

Granted Fisher is being paid a lot of money to achieve similar success and to turn things around quickly. Those expectations, unlike the anticipation to the 2018 season, are at an all-time high from within the program, as well it should be.

However, we’re talking about different programs here. I don’t believe that the Texas A&M program is at a stage where it can contend that fast, though Jimbo is making gains at least in the recruiting department.

And keep in mind, had Georgia played Alabama for the SEC Championship instead of an Auburn team that had already beaten the Dogs during the regular season, there’s a chance it wouldn’t have won a conference title or a spot in the Playoff.

Everything fell right for Georgia last season, it was the proverbial perfect storm.

Could the same happen for Texas A&M? Probably not, for the simple fact that the Aggies are in the same division with Nick Saban and Alabama. There’s no avoiding the defending national champions. The two teams will face each other year in and year out. They are a fixture on the Aggies’ schedule and Fisher will face off with Saban beginning with a Sept. 22 encounter this season at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

No, for Fisher and the Aggies to do what Smart did at Georgia, they’ll have to do it the hard way; unseat Alabama first, and then win the SEC title before heading into the Playoff. That my friends is no small task, and it’s going to take some time. Probably more time than what Smart did in two years at Georgia.

They say patience is a virtue. I know it’s not what most Aggies fans want to hear, much less carry out, but it’s true. And maybe Aggies fans are more realistic than most. You seem to be giving Fisher a pass on 2018 with hopes of a brighter future. That’s not easy to do in today’s society of instant gratification.

Aggies fans appear to be playing it smart with Fisher (see what I did there?) and kudos for those who are.

Given some time, Fisher could very well put Texas A&M in a position that Auburn holds right now — winning the SEC West on occasion, and when the stars align play for a national championship. Nobody is ready to proclaim Texas A&M as the new Alabama in the SEC West. Only time will tell how all that plays out.

That’s the future of the Texas A&M program, and from the feedback I’ve gathered, I don’t think I’m breaking any news here. Give Jimbo a little time to work his system and carve out a program that I believe will eventually produce favorable results.

In time I believe we’ll all be watching Texas A&M climb the ladder in the SEC West hierarchy. Fisher’s resume points to it — a national championship as an assistant under Saban at LSU, followed by a national championship as head coach at Florida State, followed by a Playoff berth.

Yes, hiring Fisher, at least on paper, appears to be setting in motion an upward trend. A trend that should it reach fruition could send the Aggies on course to climb over LSU and Auburn and challenge Alabama for top honors on a consistent basis.

No, the buzz for 2018 isn’t anywhere close to the level that is anticipated for future seasons, if all goes as planned. Still, with Jimbo Fisher patrolling the sidelines, it’s an exciting time to be an Aggies fan.

Whoop!