'A Throwdown In Titletown': How Nick Saban And Jimbo Fisher Became College Football's Top Rivalry

In less than 24 hours, Texas A&M and Alabama have become college football's top rivalry for 2022

The date is October 8. The place is Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala. The time? It certainly won't be an 11 AM kick regardless of the channel that wins the streaming rights. 

Circle it. Remember it. Etch it into your skull. The world of college football will turn its attention to the Alabama sky on a cool fall evening and fix its sights on two names. 

Texas A&M's Jimbo Fisher will stand on one side. Alabama's Nick Saban will stand on the other. Once considered a teacher and protege, comments and conflicts have turned the two into foes for the future soul of the SEC. 

Welcome to college football's newest rivalry. 

Comments thrown by both coaches aren't one handed out to any run-of-the-mill person. The thought process was well documented and the bare-knuckle brawl is underway.

Saban opened Pandora's box and took a swing. Fisher took the blow and delivered his own strike in retaliation. And while football doesn't have a ringside attendee hoisting up a card telling you which round is next, the 'Throwdown in Titletown' will be the closest the sport gets to a heavyweight fight in 2022.

How did we get here? What led to a coach finishing with the No. 1 recruiting class being called a cheater? How did two of the top faces in the sport go from a mutual fondness for one another to utter disdain?

The new NIL ruling takes the cake on the part of that front. Fisher becoming the first former assistant to take down the master in front of 103,000 fans likely added more fuel.

Saban's comments on how A&M “bought every player on their team,” was a calling card to what the seven-time national champion thinks of NIL's clutch over the sport. Fisher retaliated less than 14 hours later, calling his former boss “a narcissist” who “thinks he’s God."

“We build him up to be this czar of football," Fisher said Thursday morning. "Go dig into his past, or (talk to) anybody who’s ever coached with him. You can find out anything you want to find out." 

It took 10 minutes to rally the troops throughout the town of College Station. Through a painful, yet passionate speech, the fifth-year ball coach immobilized a school with a military background, gearing up for a spectacle in the coming months. 

Jimbo Fisher & Nick Saban

The Corps of Cadets would march to Tuscaloosa behind General Fisher following his rant. Saban's army of followers throughout the Yellowhammer State will be waiting to take aim at whoever crosses into the 205-area code. 

Hopefully, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey is ready for action. A war is ensuing between the two programs whether he likes it or not. All that's missing is a referee screaming "let's get ready to rumble" instead of blowing a whistle at kickoff. 

The SEC has been the pinnacle of college football for nearly a decade. It's the only conference to be represented in every College Football Playoff and has seen numerous undefeated seasons in the past eight years. 

It's slogan is 'It Just Means More'. That means more money, more talent and ultimately more drama. Best believe Sankey will be on the phone with Fisher and Saban before the SEC spring meetings take place in Destin, Fla. this month, though Fisher is already looking forward to greeting his former employer in person.

“I don’t mind confrontation,” he said. “Lived with it my whole life. Kind of like it, personally.”

In one swoop, Saban made clear his stance on the direction college football is headed. Why worry about recruiting when all it takes is a paycheck and a booster, right?

Fisher doesn't think that way, but he's benefitted from the NCAA's new rules. Saban isn't a fan of change and certainly has never been keen on finishing second.

Last year, the Aggies took down the Crimson Tide during the regular season. They beat them again on the recruiting trail four months later. Here we are seven months following a Seth Small game-winning field goal and college football has a newfound rivalry.

Some rivals are made based on location. The Iron Bowl is heralded among the southern region as one of college football's greatest outings. For years, Texas A&M and Texas faced off during Thanksgiving for bragging rights in the Lone Star Showdown. 

Jimbo Fisher & Nick Saban

Others are formed based on the school's history against another program. Notre Dame vs. USC is one. Michigan vs. Ohio State is another. 

Perhaps Texas A&M vs. Alabama will amount to nothing more than just another game down the line. For now, it's one of college football's greatest outings each season because of the two at the helm. 

Saban saw his opening and landed a punch on Fisher's ego. The Aggies' coach countered right back, setting the sport ablaze entering the weekend. 

The two just proved the conference's slogan rings true. Come that Saturday in October, the gloves come off and 60 minutes stand in between perhaps the biggest moment of the upcoming season. 

The last man standing wins. 

Ding ding. 

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