Belichick Ties Strong in Florida-Bama Tilt

Though he won’t be on the sidelines again until tomorrow, New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick holds the common thread in today’s matchup between college football’s top-ranked. Urban Meyer and No. 1 Florida meet Nick Saban and No. 2 Alabama—both unbeaten—for the Southeastern Conference title and a spot in the national championship game, and the men share not only Belichick’s genius tag, but also deep personal and professional relationships.

Saban coached under Belichick in the NFL in the 1990s, and tells the New York Times: “Everyone understands what they’re supposed to do and why it’s important to do it. Philosophically, that’s the greatest thing I learned from him.” Meyer, who once called Saban for a job only to never hear back, echoes the sentiment on Belichick: “What I admire about him more than most is that it’s always about getting better.”
(More Southeastern Conference stories.)