Jimbo Fisher explains comments on hoping to play Alabama in BCS Championship Game

Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher caused a stir earlier this month when he said he hoped the Seminoles would play an SEC team and hoped it would be Alabama in the BCS Championship Game.

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That could be taken as a perceived slight to Auburn who Florida State defeated 34-31 in the final BCS Championship Game, but also as a knock on Alabama if you believe Fisher wanted to play the Crimson Tide because he believed the Seminoles would have an easier time defeating Nick Saban’s club than another opponent.

However, Fisher joined the Afternoon Sports Drive on WNSP-FM 105.5 in Mobile on Wednesday to clarify his comments which he meant as a show of respect.

"“By saying you want to play them, to me, is the ultimate respect because that is the thing you want to do,” Fisher said Wednesday. “You want to play the best. That’s what we were able to do. No pun to Alabama or any SEC team or Auburn or anybody else, when you want to be a champion, you have to take those steps. You have to have that attitude to be able to compete."

The old adage goes, “to be the best, you need to beat the best,” and that’s at the heart of what Fisher said here as Alabama was the defending champions, so there is some inherent satisfaction when you get to knock off the champs, especially when Fisher used to be as assistant under Saban at LSU.

“To me, I was actually complimenting the SEC and Alabama in that situation by saying when you want to compete you have to go compete against the best and they were regarded as the best at the present time.”

Fisher continued to show his respect for the entire Southeastern Conference as a veteran assistant who spent 13 years in college football’s premier conference.

“When you are vying for a championship, you want to be considered the best,” Fisher said. “You have to approach everybody; you have to be able to play everybody. The SEC had won seven championships. I coached in the league for 13 years. I know the league inside and out. I know what it is about and what it does and how good a league it is.

There you have it, plenty of respect from Fisher toward Alabama, Auburn and the entire SEC.

Just for laughs, do you think Florida State would have experienced a similar result in the BCS had they played Alabama and not Auburn?

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