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Florida State's 2007 season will feature a colossal battle that should prove fascinating on many different levels.

On September 19th, Bobby Bowden and the Seminoles will welcome Nick Saban's Alabama Crimson Tide to Tallahassee for a game that could set the stage for the future of college football in the South. Both coaches have won National Championships. Bowden claimed two at Florida State and has won more cames than any college coach in history. Saban claimed his title at LSU and now dreams of bringing the ghosts of glory back to life in Tuscaloosa. Both programs have visions of returning to the top and this could be one of the classic cross-conference battles of the year.

For Bowden, the game will undoubtedly bring memories of the past as well as dreams of the future. The greatest coach Florida State has ever known played his college ball in the shadows of the greatest coach Alabama ever knew, Paul "Bear" Bryant. A resident of Birmingham in his youth, Bowden came of age listening to Alabama broadcasts on the radio and dreaming of playing for the Crimson Tide. He got his chance and played quarterback for Alabama before transferring to what is now Samford University in Birmingham. He transferred shortly before Bryant began his legendary career at Alabama.

It has been speculated that Bowden once dreamed of coaching at Alabama, but if the rumors are true it was a transition that never took place. Instead, he remained at Florida State and built a legend of his own.

Saban, meanwhile, comes to Alabama at a time when restless Tide fans are anxious for a return to glory. The Crimson Tide made a bowl game last year, but lost to Oklahoma State and ended the season with a losing record. The down season cost former coach Mike Shula his job and after weeks of denying that he was taking the job, Nick Saban showed up in Tuscaloosa to instant celebrity and cheering crowds. He may well be the most-cheered new coach in Alabama history.

A lot will be on the line when the two teams meet. For Bowden, there is the undeniable chance to bring the Seminoles back into the national title picture. For Saban, beating the Seminoles in Tallahassee could be the start of a return to prominence for the Alabama program. Plus, who can deny the magnitude of the bragging rights riding on this game?

Learn more about this author, Dale Cox.
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