Under Fisher, FSU Better Than Alabama Against Common Opponents

The Sept. 2 contest between Florida State and Alabama in Atlanta is being dubbed as the biggest opener in college football history and for good reason.

The showdown is a match-up of top-5 teams and College Football Playoff hopefuls. It’s also a contest of the only two programs to finish ranked in each of the last seven years, but the story lines go well beyond that.

By now, it’s well-know that FSU head coach Jimbo Fisher worked under Alabama head coach Nick Saban at LSU. Both head coaches are also undefeated in openers.

Fisher has certainly returned FSU back to national prominence with five straight major bowl appearances, three ACC titles and a national championship in seven years, but Alabama has been the class of college football over the last decade. Under Saban, the Crimson Tide have won four national championships, played in two other playoffs and have finished with more than two losses just once since 2008.

The success of Alabama (and to be fair, other SEC programs early in Saban’s tenure) has caused many across the Deep South to beat their chest with an aura of SEC superiority. Sometimes, they just chant.

While SEC fans are much more likely to attest to conference pride than any other fans in college football, it is worth noting that FSU is 9-1 against SEC schools under Fisher. Although it has become more accepted that Fisher is one of college football’s best head coaches, many downplayed his success early on, because the Seminoles were notching most of their wins against an Atlantic Coast Conference that some considered to be inferior.

Though Fisher has won 90 percent of his contests against the SEC — a conference where he served as an assistant at both Auburn and LSU — none have come against Alabama. In fact, the last meeting between the two schools came in 2007. That was Fisher’s first year as offensive coordinator at FSU and Saban’s first as head coach at Alabama. It was a game that FSU won in Jacksonville, 21-14.

During Fisher’s tenure, it would be hard to deny that Alabama has been a more successful program. When you compare how the two have done against common opponents since Fisher’s first year as head coach in 2010, however, the results may be surprising:

Although the Crimson Tide have just one 3-loss season since 2010 and Fisher’s FSU teams have lost at least three games in four of his seven seasons, the Florida State head man has actually fared better than his former boss against common opponents. In six of the 10 contests against common opponents, both FSU and Alabama beat that opponent. Against Clemson last season, both lost.

Where FSU holds the edge is by winning bowl games in 2010 and 2013 against South Carolina and Auburn teams, respectively, that Alabama lost to earlier in the year. The only common opponent to beat the Seminoles, but lose to the Crimson Tide was Clemson in 2015.

Delving further into the 10 contests, here’s a look by the numbers:

What stands out when looking at the chart above is the difference in points scored and allowed. Fisher has been known as a quarterback guru and an outstanding offensive mind while Saban’s teams have been regarded for the physical play and ridiculous amount of defensive talent. Against common opponents, Florida State has been far more prone to win with defense while the Crimson Tide have not shied away from a shootout.

Against the common opponents however, Alabama has scored about eight points more while FSU has given up a touchdown less. Against the 10 common foes, the Crimson Tide have allowed opponents to score at least 30 points five times and 40 on two occasions. FSU has allowed 30 just three times against the common opponents and never more than 37 points.

FSU has also held six of the 10 common opponents to 20 points or fewer while Alabama has done so just four times. It’s also worth noting that the Crimson Tide have scored 40 points in four of the 10 contests against common foes. FSU has hit that threshold just once.

There are plenty of inferences that could be made from the data listed above, but one could be that perhaps FSU and Alabama have been fairly evenly matched for a while despite the Crimson Tide being a national championship contender on a much more consistent basis. As to how evenly matched the teams are for 2017, we’ll find that out in one week.

Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson