Despite Offseason Feud, Alabama's Nick Saban Has Respect For Texas A&M And Jimbo Fisher
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COLLEGE STATION -- Jimbo Fisher is moving on. That's at least what the fifth-year Texas A&M head coach is telling people entering the week that has been circled on calendars since June.
Despite the fact that the matchup lost a bit of flair due to the status of A&M entering Week 6, attention this week has been on Fisher and Alabama coach Nick Saban due to the comments made in the offseason. Saban poked Fisher and Fisher threw a punch right back in the face of the seven-time national champion.
“Some people think they’re God — go dig into how ‘God’ did his deal and find out about a guy … a lot of things you don’t want to know,” Fisher said of Saban following the comments made about A&M's No. 1 recruiting class.
Fast forward four months, and one would never have guessed that the two quarreled in the offseason. Fisher played coy when asked about the feud on Monday, telling reporters that he and Saban were in "a good place."
“Listen, that’s over with, and he and I are in great shape. We’ve moved on,” said Fisher.
Even if the battle between the two SEC coaches is over, Fisher learned a valuable lesson. If one is to talk the talk, best be walking to the same tune entering gameday.
Saban, who suggested that A&M "bought" its recruiting class this offseason, currently has Alabama (5-0, 2-0 SEC) in the driver's seat to win the conference title come Dec. 3. Fisher, who signed a contract extension last season after going 9-1 in 2020, has the Aggies (3-2, 1-1 SEC) spiraling out of control without a person behind the wheel.
Fans will be fixated on Saturday's game in Bryant-Denny Stadium due to the rivalry between the coaches. For now, Vegas isn't giving A&M a leg to stand on in terms of betting. The Tide is currently a 24-point favorite over a program that many believed was set to turn the corner in 2022.
He's not the only reason for domination in Title Town over the past 15 years, but Saban is the architect of the Alabama dynasty. Top recruits sign up to play for the program, but it's the middle-tier prospects that end up becoming first-round draft picks in April.
In large part, that's due to coaching. And whether it be Saban making the call to bring in a certain coordinator or being hands-on with the players, he's been at the center of all things right in Tuscaloosa for over a decade.
“Nick is a tremendous coach. People say he’s one of the best ever or the best ever, (and) there’s a huge argument for that,” Fisher said.
The Aggies currently are dead-last among SEC teams in total offense and scoring offense this season. Still, Saban isn't going to let the recent string of bad luck affect his preparation for attacking Saturday's matchup.
If Saban learned anything last season, it's when a team has nothing else to lose, they'll leave it all out on the field. The Aggies were coming off back-to-back losses to Arkansas and Mississippi State when Alabama touched down in College Station for a Week 6 matchup. The Tide entered Kyle Field as a three-touchdown favorite.
A&M ended up pulling off the upset of the year with a 41-38 victory in front of 103,000-plus screaming fans. Fisher became the first former assistant to take down Saban while Alabama hit the reset button on its 25-game win streak against unranked opponents.
This season, the Aggies have already suffered two crushing losses, including a 17-14 upset by Appalachian State in Week 2. In a sense, Saban sees similarities between the years.
"They had lost the week before, we were big favorites," Saban said Monday. "It was like, no big deal, just show up for this game, go play the next game. I don't get affected by it because I don't listen to you all. I really don't have any interest in what anybody thinks about any of this stuff. I do have an interest in how it affects and impacts the players on our team."
History favors Alabama to win Saturday. Since his inaugural season with the program in 2007, Saban has only suffered back-to-back losses to a team twice. One came against LSU in 2010 and 2011. The other came against Ole Miss in 2014 and 2015.
It's more than that. Players from both sides have been salivating over this rematch since last October. Alabama outside linebacker Will Anderson said at SEC Media Days that "everything will be addressed" in terms of the feud between the two parties when they meet on the field at Bryant-Denny Stadium.
Fans are frustrated with how A&M's season has once again gone from promise and potential to poor play and limited production. A win Saturday could be exactly what A&M needs to turn the ship around on what looks to be another lost year in College Station.
Fisher is staying quiet entering Saturday. Saban has never been one to boast, but he's well in his right to if he so pleased. In a sense, perhaps Saban doesn't think he has to speak when the Tide's on-field production does most of the heavy lifting.
At least in the public eye, both coaches seem to have a sense of respect for one of college football's more publicized rivalries.
Said Saban: "Texas A&M has a really good team. These guys have a lot of good players. Jimbo does a really good job of coaching them.
"What happened in last week's game won't have any effect on what happens in this game. We could say it was the same situation a year ago. They're going to play really against us."
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