Nick Saban

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The most driven competitors often measure themselves against each other, trying to close any perceived gap without compromising any respect for the other. Nick Saban and Urban Meyer will measure their teams against each other Saturday in the Georgia Dome for the SEC championship.

But their competition, their mutual respect, extends beyond the field and into their offices, the homes of recruits and hours they work. They even share a friendship with famed New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick.

“Nick really does everything well,” Belichick said on a conference call Tuesday. “He’s a (heck) of a football coach, a great friend and a great recruiter. He’s just a great guy to be around. He’s a lot of fun. He’s witty. He’s smart. But he’s very determined and is as good a football coach as I’ve ever had the privilege of coaching with.

“Take a look at the great success both of them have had. They are both outstanding coaches, and I feel privileged to have a good relationship with both of them.”

Meyer and Saban do not know each other outside of SEC meetings. But the respect is unmistakable.

“He’s a (heck) of a coach,” Meyer said after his Florida Gators dismantled Florida State last Saturday. He later added, “We see each other every year at the meetings, and we get along very well.”

Saban on Meyer: “I think he does an outstanding job of recruiting. I don’t know how they go about it, but I know he’s very involved and he makes the people that do the recruiting for them accountable.”

Their offenses are strikingly different, a compelling part of Saturday’s title clash. Saban, 57, is 14 years older than Meyer. But the differences, in many regards, end there.

Similar backgrounds

Saban is from West Virginia, Meyer from neighboring Ohio. Both are sons of demanding fathers. Meyer once made the last out of a high school baseball game his senior year, so his father drove away and made his son run home. Saban often reflects on his childhood, which consisted of pumping gas and fixing flat tires for his dad’s service station.

Their drive and work ethic never wavered. Meyer admits he’s not educated on world events, choosing to spend his time watching game video and spending time with his players. Saban works from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day, according to a story in the Press-Register in Mobile, Ala., and often continues jotting down notes when he gets home.

But their strongest bond is most evident during recruiting. CBS play-by-play analyst Verne Lundquist, who has met with Saban dozens of times in advance of telecasts over the years, vividly remembers a comment Saban made when he returned to the college game.

“He said the one thing he enjoyed about being back in the university setting was that he really enjoyed recruiting,” Lundquist said. “I don’t know if that’s true of every college head coach.”

After the NCAA forbade head coaches from making off-campus visits during the spring evaluation period, Saban and Meyer were the most vocal opponents of the legislation. The rule has since been dubbed the “Saban Rule” — Saban visited more than 100 high schools in six weeks last year — but its namesake admits Meyer worked just as hard.

“I know I’m one of the people that everybody always complains about, but Urban did it the same way,” Saban said in April.

Belichick connection

Meyer and Saban aren’t just competing on the field, one reporter joked this week, but for Belichick’s affection. Both are close friends with the Patriots coach.

“I really don’t know Urban’s relationship with Bill,” Saban said. “I know they’re good friends. I never discussed it with Bill, so I really can’t comment on that. Bill has been a really good friend to me and has been very helpful. Even when we were competitors in the same division, 365 days a year, it never really affected the personal part of our relationship.”

Saban worked for Belichick with the Cleveland Browns, and they maintain a close relationship. Their temperament and demeanor are remarkably similar, as are the long hours they spend in the office. Belichick visited Saban in Tuscaloosa last spring.

Meyer said Belichick called him after Florida’s 56-6 pounding of South Carolina to warn him about the upcoming hype. And here it is, 1 vs. 2 in the SEC title game.

“I’m sure it will be a great game. They are two very well-coached teams with a lot of good players. That will be a fun game to watch,” Belichick said, declining to pick a favorite. “I have all the respect in the world for both men, both coaches and both programs. My relationship goes back further with Nick and I could never root against him, but I don’t want to root against Urban, either.”

Unique personalities

Asked to describe Saban in one word, Lundquist said, “Prickly.” His partner in the CBS booth, Gary Danielson, offered, “Straightforward.”

“What you’ll find about him is when the doors are closed and we’re in the room with him, there’s an exchange of respect,” Lundquist said. “He’s as gracious and kind as anybody can be. He’ll take the time to answer the question. Every once in awhile, he loses his temper. But he answers thoughtfully and completely and will stay as long as you need to ask your questions.”

Meyer has irritated several SEC coaches, calling a timeout during the final minute of a 49-10 blowout of Georgia and kicking a late field goal against Miami. He remarked earlier this year that Ole Miss is a faster team than Tennessee. Blink and you missed Meyer’s postgame handshakes with Houston Nutt and Mark Richt.

But both coaches’ success is undeniable, with a remarkable year-two similarity. Meyer won a national championship in his second year at Florida, and Saban’s second Tide team is 12-0. And when they meet Saturday in the Georgia Dome, it will be a battle featuring two driven coaches, two remarkable recruiters and one interested observer.

“When I was down there and I talked to Nick, he felt like he had a good recruiting class,” Belichick said. “I’m sure they expected it eventually, but they didn’t know how quickly it was going to happen. They got it going right off the bat. Every time I’ve seen them play, it doesn’t seem like anybody can move the ball against them well or score a lot of points.

“At the same time, every time I’ve seen Florida play, it looks like every guy who touches the ball is faster than the guy who had it the time before and has a better chance of scoring than the guy who just had it. So it looks like a great matchup between two great teams. May the best team win.”