M
Mark Heim | mheim@al.com
Clemson coach hopes to "even it up somewhere along the line" against Alabama.
Nick Saban and Dabo Swinney are competitors on the field and friends off.
Occasionally, the two meet. Case in point: the Clemson coach just recently reacted to the Alabama coach's assertion that the Tigers should enter the upcoming season as the preseason No. 1.
Swinney, a former Alabama player, reacted with his typical quick humor.
"I appreciate coach Saban talking about us as No. 1 (going into 2016)," Swinney said. "But that is like Bill Gates talking about someone else's wealth."
Swinney also shed some light on a friendly wager the two made before last season's national championship game.
The bet was simple. The loser of the title game had to buy the winner dinner at a very specific restaurant in Boca Grande, Florida.
As we all know, Saban's Tide won 45-40.
"The invited us to go on a dinner cruise," Swinney explained of the Sabans invitation around St. Patrick's Day. "Not knowing when we would get our schedules coordinated again, my wife and I went in and bought a certificate at Temptation, the restaurant, down there in Boca. I bought him a nice certificate.
"It was the first time I had seen him, so (I figured) go ahead and get it over with, then he gets mad. (He said) 'I thought we were going to eat together.' I said, 'well, I didn't know if we were going to work it out, and I didn't want to owe you and here you go.'
"I had written see you in Tampa next year, then he starts going, 'we're not going to Tampa, we're no good.' The old typical try to make me feel sorry for him. I said, 'whatever.'
"I think he had a great dinner at my expense," Swinney continued. "I'm a man of my word. Hopefully, we'll even it up somewhere along the line."
The idea of the two meeting again isn't far-fetched.
Earlier Monday, the media that covers the ACC picked Clemson and quarterback Deshaun Watson as the preseason picks for Atlantic Coast Conference favorite and player of the year.
The talk of the upcoming season's favorite to reach the College Football Playoff has been as been in-depth as the summer days are hot.
Phil Steele explained how he "went out of the box" when he predicted two SEC West teams were making the final four.
While the Tide opens with Southern Cal, Clemson gets Auburn.
Continue for video...
Nick Saban and Dabo Swinney are competitors on the field and friends off.
Occasionally, the two meet. Case in point: the Clemson coach just recently reacted to the Alabama coach's assertion that the Tigers should enter the upcoming season as the preseason No. 1.
Swinney, a former Alabama player, reacted with his typical quick humor.
"I appreciate coach Saban talking about us as No. 1 (going into 2016)," Swinney said. "But that is like Bill Gates talking about someone else's wealth."
Swinney also shed some light on a friendly wager the two made before last season's national championship game.
The bet was simple. The loser of the title game had to buy the winner dinner at a very specific restaurant in Boca Grande, Florida.
As we all know, Saban's Tide won 45-40.
"The invited us to go on a dinner cruise," Swinney explained of the Sabans invitation around St. Patrick's Day. "Not knowing when we would get our schedules coordinated again, my wife and I went in and bought a certificate at Temptation, the restaurant, down there in Boca. I bought him a nice certificate.
"It was the first time I had seen him, so (I figured) go ahead and get it over with, then he gets mad. (He said) 'I thought we were going to eat together.' I said, 'well, I didn't know if we were going to work it out, and I didn't want to owe you and here you go.'
"I had written see you in Tampa next year, then he starts going, 'we're not going to Tampa, we're no good.' The old typical try to make me feel sorry for him. I said, 'whatever.'
"I think he had a great dinner at my expense," Swinney continued. "I'm a man of my word. Hopefully, we'll even it up somewhere along the line."
The idea of the two meeting again isn't far-fetched.
Earlier Monday, the media that covers the ACC picked Clemson and quarterback Deshaun Watson as the preseason picks for Atlantic Coast Conference favorite and player of the year.
The talk of the upcoming season's favorite to reach the College Football Playoff has been as been in-depth as the summer days are hot.
Phil Steele explained how he "went out of the box" when he predicted two SEC West teams were making the final four.
While the Tide opens with Southern Cal, Clemson gets Auburn.
Continue for video...
