Yep....a great QB can make or break a program....and a string of bad QBs (remind you of a certain school?) can KILL a program!
Obviously, coaching goes a long way as well....but losing star QBs kills momentum. FSU's season would have been completely different had they not lost the French kid (they gave Alabama a hell of a game for 3 quarters, until the QB went down).
That's another reason why I think we aren't too far off from being a good team again (if we can find a star QB to go along w/ a home-run coaching hire). There's still other issues (building depth and increasing the talent level, along w/ facilities) - but that can be fixed within a couple of years.
Sumlin is a good coach. He's definitely up there w/ any of the Plan B's we've heard mentioned.
If Jimbo is A&M's top target they sure are taking a gamble when you consider the buyout for Fisher and Sumlin, plus the salary Fisher will demand (more than FSU is paying). But, they're the richest program in the SEC so if that's what they want to do....