Bowden suggests Fisher could replace Saban as 'sheriff in town'

The upcoming battle between Florida State and Alabama on Sept. 2 is undoubtedly the most high-powered matchup of opening weekend, and to no surprise, Bobby Bowden is siding with loyalty.

The 87-year-old told Ryan Fowler of SEC Country in an exclusive interview Thursday that he expects Alabama to be favored in the contest, but that Florida State could steal a victory if Nick Saban and company aren't careful.

He also suggested that, while Saban could be close to being recognized as the best head coach of all time, Bowden's own successor, Jimbo Fisher, could be poised to take a certain role from the four-time national champion.

"The last six years that Jimbo has been the head coach at Florida State, the two teams with the best record in those six years are Alabama one, Florida State two, and it's pretty close," Bowden said. "Saban has been the sheriff in town for the last 10 years. Is it time for another sheriff?"

Bowden is a big supporter of opening the regular season against other high-ranking teams, insisting the damage caused by a loss would not affect either team as much as one may initially think.

"If you win you're going to go to No. 1. If you lose you still have a chance to win the national championship," Bowden said. "A coach knows when he plays somebody, I don't care how bad they're supposed to be, they can still upset you. But you can't get those kids to believe that."