There's nothing new about Alabama Coach Nick Saban facing a head coach who used to be one of his assistants.
When the No. 2 Crimson Tide play No. 13 Texas A&M on Saturday at Bryant-Denny Stadium, it will be the 20th time a former assistant of Saban's has faced his old boss.
But never previously has Saban had a month full of games against his former assistants.
The Texas A&M game will be the first of four consecutive games in October in which Saban plays an opponent led by someone who used to coach for him at Michigan State, LSU or Alabama.
Aggies Coach Jimbo Fisher was Saban's offensive coordinator at LSU from 2000-04.
The next three games Alabama plays are Ole Miss, Georgia and Tennessee.
Rebels Coach Lane Kiffin was Saban's offensive coordinator at Alabama, and Georgia Coach Kirby Smart and Tennessee Coach Jeremy Pruitt were his defensive coordinators with the Tide.
Saban said Wednesday on the SEC coaches teleconference that he didn't realize he had a four-game stretch against his former assistants.
"I'm really happy for the guys that did a great job for us and got opportunities to become head coaches, which is what they probably all really aspired to be, and worked hard to be," Saban said. "It's very challenging when you play folks that know you well, but we also probably know them a little bit, too."
Saban is 19-0 in games against eight of his former assistants.
Fisher, 0-3 against Saban, said he hopes to be the first former assistant to beat him.
"That's what our plan is," Fisher said. "We need to go in there and play well, but they're a very good team."
Smart and Pruitt are each 0-2 against Saban. Kiffin will face Saban for the first time as one of his former assistants. Kiffin was Tennessee's coach in 2009 when Alabama beat the Vols 12-10, but that was before he worked for Saban.
"It's obviously challenging for me," Saban said of the next four games. "Because you'd like to see your team play well against people that you know. But I'm sure they all feel the same way about that as well."
Fisher said it's a compliment to Saban that he has played so many head coaches who were his assistants.
"I think it's a very good sign of what Nick has done," Fisher said. "People want to hire people that come from successful places."
Other former Saban assistants who are current head coaches include South Carolina's Will Muschamp, Oregon's Mario Cristobal, Maryland's Mike Locksley and Louisiana-Lafayette's Billy Napier.
Utsey starts again
Missouri defensive tackle Markell Utsey, a fifth-year senior from Little Rock Parkview, played in his 35th game for the Tigers on Saturday night when they lost 38-19 to No. 2 Alabama.
It was the first start for Utsey -- who made a career-high three tackles -- since the 2017 season when he started six games. He played in three games in 2018 to preserve a redshirt season.
"Markell Utsey is a fighter," said Eli Drinkwitz, Missouri's first-year coach from Alma. "He's a young man who's battled injuries and battled redshirting, and he's just found his way to be on the football field.
"He's a consistent contributor and a leader."
Utsey graduated in May with a degree in sports management.
"He's working on his master's degree," Drinkwitz said. "I've been really impressed with the way he's going about his business. He played a lot for us [against Alabama], and he contributed. He's doing exactly what we ask him to do."
Twilight Zone?
Leave it to Mississippi State Coach Mike Leach to bring up a TV series that first aired in 1959 in reference to limited attendance at SEC games because of the coronavirus pandemic.
"I have to be honest, I haven't quite gotten the hang of the cutout people in the stands," Leach said Monday about the Bulldogs' opener at LSU when asked about the crowd. "I mean, that's an episode of 'Twilight Zone.'
"You guys are all probably too young for 'Twilight Zone.' I mean the black-and-white 'Twilight Zone' where [host] Rod Serling would get on there with the really creepy voice and the suit.
"All of a sudden, 'Is this real? Is it outer space?' It was almost like haunted houses met science fiction, that show.
"Now all of a sudden, we have these people frozen in time sitting there in the stadium with enthusiastic expressions on their faces, but they can't move.
"If people enjoyed it, great. But that is a little surreal, the fake people in the stands. I don't even know how they decide the seating. Do the fake people have a lottery for where they sit? Because I know this, some of those fake people have way better seats than the others. I want to be one of those fake people on the 50-yard line about row 12, but some of them are still up in the rafters."
Speaking 'coach'
Auburn Coach Gus Malzahn and Georgia Coach Kirby Smart did some verbal sparring earlier this week ahead of their top 10 matchup between the hedges at Sanford Stadium.
Malzahn opened his Tuesday news conference by saying No. 4 Georgia is "probably the most talented team overall in the SEC."
The Bulldogs are the third-highest ranked SEC team in The Associated Press poll behind No. 2 Alabama and No. 3 Florida.
When Smart met with the media Tuesday night, he took a subtle jab at Malzahn.
"I think if you ask somebody the week of the game, the team they're playing has the most talent in the league," Smart said. "And then the next week, that team will have the most talent, then the next week, that team will have the most talent.
"And that's called 'coach-speak,' so thank you, Gus. He has the most talent in the SEC."
The Tigers are ranked No. 7.
Swamp not sold out
Tickets at Florida home games are limited to 17,000 because of restrictions resulting from the coronavirus pandemic, but tickets are still available for the No. 3 Gators' home opener against South Carolina on Saturday.
It seems a bit surprising considering Florida is 22-5 under Coach Dan Mullen and opened with a 51-35 victory at Ole Miss last week.
"You know it's going to be great to be home and back to being in the home environment -- playing in the Swamp, there is no environment like it," Mullen said at his Monday news conference. "I can't wait to see it."
Others are waiting.
"Even though there is a limited capacity at stadiums right now, fans can make a huge difference," said Mullen, continuing his sales pitch. "We can't pack the Swamp, but we can maximize what we can do at the Swamp on Saturdays.
"I know there are still tickets available for the game, which is something that is a little bit different, unique. All the Gator Nation out there, if you want to come to the game, please get in touch to the ticket office."
Apparently ticket sales the early part of the week haven't been brisk, because Mullen opened his time on the SEC coaches teleconference Wednesday by again letting it be known seats are available.
"Any fan that wants to come to the game, they can come see their Gators play," Mullen said. "Kind of feel normal and get in the Swamp here for a beautiful Saturday afternoon of some fall football."
South Carolina Coach Will Muschamp, who previously coached at Florida, said it's not a shock the game isn't a sellout even with drastically reduced capacity.
"We have a pandemic going on, and I know that we're playing college football, and I'm glad we are. I think it's the right decision," Muschamp said. "But I do think there's a concern out there in our country with the coronavirus. I think that's still there. It's real, and that's not going away."
Stingley probable
LSU Coach Ed Orgeron said he expects Derek Stingley, the Tigers' sophomore All-American cornerback, to play against Vanderbilt on Saturday after he missed the opener against Mississippi because of an illness that wasn't related to the coronavirus.
Stingley returned to practice on a limited basis Tuesday.
"It's not conclusive yet, but I do believe he's going to play," Orgeron said.
Orgeron said he's still not exactly sure what ailment sidelined Stingley, and when he knows the exact nature of it, he still won't disclose it.
SEC TOP TO BOTTOM
Rank(prev);record;comment
1(1);Alabama;1-0;Nick welcomes Jimbo to Tusacaloosa
2(4);Florida;1-0;Gators rolled over Kiffin and Ole Miss
3(3);Georgia;1-0;QB Daniels medically cleared to play
4(5);Auburn;1-0;Chad Morris calling plays against Georgia's defense
5(11);Mississippi State;1-0;Bulldogs ended LSU's winning streak at 16 games
6;(6);Texas A&M;1-0;Aggies try to break through at Alabama
7(2);LSU;0-1;Tigers have to regroup at Vanderbilt
8(7);Tennessee;1-0;Vols have 7-game winning streak
9(8);Kentucky;0-1;Wildcats' defense will look to slow Kiffin
10(9);Ole Miss;0-1;More than 600 yards on offense vs. Florida
11(10);Missouri;0-1;Drinkwitz goes for first SEC W at Tennessee
12(12)South Carolina;0-1;Muschamp back at the Swamp
13(14);Vanderbilt;0-1;Commodores gave Aggies tough game
14(13);Arkansas;Hogs couldn't sustain success against Georgia
PLAYER TO WATCH
AUBURN SOPHOMORE QUARTERBACK BO NIX
The Tigers will need a big game from Nix against Georgia on Saturday night, because the Bulldogs have allowed just two rushing touchdowns since the start of last season -- one of which was by Nix last season when Georgia beat Auburn 21-14.
Nix, making his 16th start after winning the No. 1 job going into last season, has formed a strong bond with new offensive coordinator Chad Morris -- the former University of Arkansas coach -- according to Auburn Coach Gus Malzahn.
In the Tigers' 29-13 victory over Kentucky last week, Nix completed 16 of 27 passes for 233 yards and 3 touchdowns without an interception.
GAME OF THE WEEK
Auburn at Georgia, 6:30 p.m. Saturday (ESPN)
WHERE Sanford Stadium, Athens, Ga.
RECORDS Auburn 1-0, Georgia 1-0
RANKINGS Georgia is No. 4 in the AP poll and USA Today coaches poll. Auburn is No. 7 in both polls
LINE Georgia by 6 1/2 points
The Bulldogs and Tigers normally play the game billed as "The Deep South's Oldest Rivalry" in November, but the coronavirus has resulted in a matchup the first Saturday of October.
New Auburn offensive coordinator Chad Morris, the former University of Arkansas coach, will see whether he can produce some points against the Bulldogs' stellar defense.
Georgia sophomore quarterback JT Daniels, a sophomore transfer from USC, has been medically cleared to play after recovering from a knee injury and could start.
The Bulldogs hold a 60-56-8 series lead, including 15-4 in the past 19 meetings. Auburn hasn't won between the hedges since a 31-30 victory in 2005.
Other games
South Carolina at No. 3 Florida
WHEN 11 a.m.
RECORDS South Carolina 0-1; Florida 1-0
SERIES Florida leads 28-9-3.
TV ESPN
LINE Florida by 18
Missouri at No. 21 Tennessee
WHEN 11 a.m.
RECORDS Missouri 0-1; Tennessee 1-0
SERIES Missouri leads 5-3.
TV SEC Network
LINE Tennessee by 11 1/2
No. 13 Texas A&M at No. 2 Alabama
WHEN 2:30 p.m.
RECORDS Texas A&M 1-0; Alabama 1-0
SERIES Alabama leads 10-2.
TV CBS
LINE Alabama by 17 1/2
Ole Miss at Kentucky
WHEN 3 p.m.
RECORDS Ole Miss 0-1; Kentucky 0-1
SERIES Ole Miss leads 28-14-1.
TV SEC Network
LINE Kentucky by 6
Arkansas at No. 16 Mississippi State
WHEN 6:30 p.m.
RECORDS Arkansas 0-1; Mississippi State 1-0
SERIES Arkansas leads 16-13-1.
TV SEC Network Alternate
LINE Mississippi State by 17 1/2
No. 20 LSU at Vanderbilt
WHEN 6:30 p.m.
RECORDS LSU 0-1; Vanderbilt 0-1
SERIES LSU leads 23-7-1.
TV SEC Network
LINE LSU by 20
BY THE NUMBERS
200 – Consecutive weeks Alabama has been in The Associated Press Top 25 poll
1,255 – Combined offensive yards by Florida and Ole Miss in the Gators' 51-35 victory last week. Florida had 642 yards to 613 for the Rebels.
1998 – The last time a defending national champion lost its opener the next season prior to Mississippi State beating LSU 44-34 in Tiger Stadium. Notre Dame opened the 1998 season with a 36-20 victory over defending national champion Michigan.
OVERHEARD
"Block out the noise. My Twitter machine is off."
– LSU Coach Ed Orgeron on getting his team refocused after a 44-34 loss to Mississippi State
"It's always a measuring stick when you play Alabama as far as where you stand on the national scene, because they've been at the top for so long."
– Texas A&M Coach Jimbo Fisher
"We're not a Maserti. We're a Ford truck."
-- Vanderbilt Coach Derek Mason on his team's blue-collar work ethic
