Fisher, Saban square off in marquee matchup

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Andrew Whitworth saw the competitive streaks of Nick Saban and Jimbo Fisher firsthand as an offensive lineman at LSU when Fisher’s offense would go against Saban and the defense.

Fisher roamed the sideline with Saban for five years, working as Saban’s offensive coordinator in Baton Rouge. Now, for the first time in their careers, they square off as head coaches when Fisher’s third-ranked Seminoles take on Saban and top-ranked Alabama in Atlanta. The stakes are huge. It will mark the first-ever opening week matchup of preseason top-3 teams since the AP started selecting them in 1950.

“I’m looking forward to it because I have a lot of respect for both,” said Whitworth, now an offensive lineman with the Los Angeles Rams. “But there’s no question those are two guys who are as competitive as competitive gets.”

Saban and Fisher, who have a 14-year age difference, grew up less than an hour apart in West Virginia. They didn’t meet for the first time until 1999, when Saban took the LSU job after five seasons at Michigan State and interviewed Fisher to be his offensive coordinator.

In their five years together (2000-04), Saban and Fisher led LSU to a 48-16 record, two Southeastern Conference titles and the national championship in 2003. Since going their separate ways, they have built championship programs and are the winningest college football coaches since 2010.

Over the past seven seasons, Saban has 86 wins and has led Alabama to two national championships. Fisher has 78 victories and one national title.

Saban said earlier this week that Fisher is the closest of all his former and current assistants in terms of philosophy and temperament.