Alabama has never lost an opening week contest under Nick Saban. As one reporter at ACC Media Days noted, it’s a tall task to start the season against the Crimson Tide. FSU coach Jimbo Fisher, however, says he’s ready for the challenge.
Fisher was asked about the Week 1 showdown on Thursday:
Q. The opener against Alabama, I asked Deondre about it, but what are your thoughts as a head coach playing a team like Alabama right out of the gates? Some coaches would like maybe a week to get warmed up.
“Well, I scheduled it, so I’d better be ready for it,” Fisher said. “No, it is. I think it’s a great opportunity. I think it’s what college football is about. You get to walk in that atmosphere and environment, the two-winningest teams in college football in the last seven years. I think it’s great for our league, I think it’s great for college football.”
Fisher was complimentary of the program Saban has built at Alabama.
“As you know, Nick is one of the great football coaches in this country and one of the greatest of all time. I believe that,” Fisher said. “They have a tremendous program, tremendous players, well-prepared, how they’re built from big physical guys to fast dynamic guys. They’ve got everything, so we’re going to have to really have our “A” game and be ready to play…”
Chick-fil-A Bowl president and CEO Gary Stokan recently revealed that Saban wanted time to build up FSU’s program before facing Alabama in the regular season.
“Jimbo took the job in (2010),” Stokan said during an appearance on “Sports Drive” on WNSP-FM 105.5 in Mobile, per AL.com. “I asked him to play in the game, and he said ‘I’d love to, but not right now. Let me get my program in place and my recruits here and we’ll do it then.’ So fast-forward 3-4 years we were able to do it.”
Fisher is entering his eighth season with the Seminoles, and a win over Alabama would arguably be the biggest regular-season win of his tenure in Tallahassee.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
