The day is January 6, 2014. The Florida State Seminoles have just rallied in the second half to beat Auburn 34-31 in the last ever BCS National Championship. The future looked bright for both coaches and their programs. In the 2014 season, Florida State and Auburn would find themselves ranked one and two respectively. It seemed that Gus Malzahn and Jimbo Fisher would surely meet up again in a game that meant just as much as the 2014 National Championship. In reality, Malzahn and Fisher would not coach against each other until last year, and Fisher was coaching at a completely different school.
Auburn was able to rally and beat the Aggies last year to even up the head-to-head record between Malzahn and Fisher, but I think Fisher is happy with the game he did win against Auburn. Jimbo Fisher is viewed as one of the elite head coaches in college football, and that may be in large part because of his national championship. But what if we flip the script?
Imagine, as I'm sure every Auburn fan does, that the Tigers were able to stop Florida State on their last drive and win the championship. Would Malzahn be on a hot seat like he has the last three years, or would he be viewed as one of the best coaches in the SEC? Like or not, Malzahn and Fisher's legacies are intertwined. And they're about to become more familiar with each other after Fisher became the head coach at Texas A&M.
The comparison between Fisher and Malzahn isn't really one you can make. Fisher has lost two more games than Malzahn in his career, but has been a head coach for three more years. Fisher won ten or more games each year from 2012-2016. Malzahn has only won ten games in a season twice.
Fisher has had the benefit of not coaching in the SEC for a majority of his head coaching career, Malzahn has not. Despite coaching in the toughest division of the toughest conference, Malzahn has remained competitive in the SEC and even been able to win the west twice as head coach of Auburn. Fisher needs to win the west within a couple of years, or his ability to coach at the highest level could come into question.
Expectations have been through the roof for Fisher and the Aggies. After falling flat on their face against Clemson, the Aggies need to win this game on Saturday. No, not just the Aggies, Jimbo needs to win this game. The SEC west has been a three-horse race for the past decade. If Texas A&M wants to get in on the action, they need to knock off Auburn this weekend to let LSU and Alabama know they are a threat. Fisher needs to establish himself as a threat to Saban in the west. I mean that's why Texas A&M hired him right?
Despite the reservations Auburn fans have for Malzahn, he has been able to compete against Alabama and even beat them. In the era of Nick Saban and Alabama, Fisher should hope he can match the success that Malzahn has had in the SEC.
Do I think Fisher is envious of Malzahn? Probably not, he did win the game that actually mattered between the two, but the two are about to coach a lot more meaningful football games against each other. We will get a lot of insight into who is the better coach between the two in the years to come. Right now it is obvious that Fisher is the better coach, but the narrative could change over the years as the two square off more.
Fisher has to win in the SEC, and Malzahn has already done that. I can see the Auburn and Texas A&M rivalry blossoming into one of the best in the SEC. As Fisher tries to prove himself, Malzahn looks to avenge the 2014 championship and prove that he can and will continue to win in the SEC. A new chapter will be added to the rivalry this Saturday, it will be a must watch game.
