Rivalry Coaches: Nick Saban V Gus Malzahn (The Iron Bowl)

Rivalries are a part of what makes sports great. Ali-Frazier. Yankees-Red Sox. Ravens-Steelers. The entire NFC East. Already I have offended people by not including their favorite rivalry. Never to fear, this is the first article in Southbound and Down’s newest series: Rivalry Coaches. Each post will contain some new rivalries in the introduction, so feel free to make a suggestion in the comments or tweet @southboundDown or @jcrichardson12 (still not great with “the twitter”) with your suggestions.

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I had this idea while brainstorming for a few fresh ideas before the kickoff to college football. Originally I intended for this to be strictly SEC rivalries and coaches. Fortunately I realized my folly. If I were to limit this series to only SEC games, some great rivalries would get left out. Additionally, the SEC East would be done a huge disservice.

Many SEC West teams have the (dis)advantage of having one of their biggest rivals be not only in the same division, but also in-state (Alabama-Auburn, Ole Miss-Mississippi State). Many teams in the SEC East, however, have one of their biggest rivalries with an in-state team that is not a part of the SEC (Georgia-Georgia Tech, Florida-Florida State, South Carolina-Clemson, Kentucky-Louisville…it counts).

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I also thought the wording of the questions was key. “Who would you rather have take over your program right now” eliminates coaches who may not be in the game very much longer. “Who would you rather have for one season” negates recruiting expertise to an extent. So it was settled that the question would be “Who would you rather have for the next 4 years?” That encompasses coaching and recruiting. It also implies that the coach cannot retire after one season.

If you have a preference, you already know which way you are going to vote. The introductions and overview here will be kept at a minimum.

So without further ado, let us introduce our first ever contestants for our ‘Rivalry Coaches’ series . . .

The Venue: The Iron Bowl

Nick Saban:

*cue announcer voice* Fighting out of the Crimson and White corner wearing houndstooth trunks and possibly concealing as many rings as he has fingers…he has an Iron Bowl record of 5-3 and has KO’d coaching legend Tommy Tuberville and National Champion Gene Chizik from this series…he recruits like no other, mean-mugs like a true KO champion and loves a ground-and-pound style of attack…NNNNNNNNNNIIIIIICK “THE LEEEEEEEGGEEENNNNNNNNNND” SAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAAAANNNNNNN.

Gus Malzahn:

*throat clear, cue announcer voice* Fighting out of the Orange and Blue corner wearing tiger-print trunks and holding an energy drink…he has an Iron Bowl record of 1-1 and was the architect behind the “Kick, Bama, Kick” game, also known as the “Kick Six”…he is always willing to give his opponent one more second on the clock…instead of bobbing and weaving, he is a volume puncher that moves with speeeeeeed…..GUUUUUUUUUUUSSS “SPEEEEEED KIIIIIIIIILLLLLLLLLLSSSSSSS” MAAAAAAAAAAALZAHHHHHHHHHNNNNNNNNNN

Results will be taken September 1st for Round 2 purposes, but that does not mean the poll will close. Even if your coach is behind, make your pick. Share with friends. Make sure your coach comes out on top. The poll will remain open and like LL Cool J said, “Don’t Call it a Comeback.”

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