Legendary Head Coach Nick Saban Unloads On College Football Playoff Format
The College Football Playoff bracket is finally set, and if you listen closely, you can hear the collective groan of traditionalists everywhere. For the first time, we’ve got two Group of Five teams crashing the party, Tulane and James Madison, while blue bloods like Notre Dame are left watching from the couch.
It is a historic moment for the little guys, sure. But not everyone is breaking out the pom-poms. Specifically, Nick Saban, the grim reaper of college football himself, has some thoughts. And in true Saban fashion, he didn’t sugarcoat it.
Appearing on “The Pat McAfee Show,” the former Alabama head coach turned analyst went full scorched earth on the selection committee’s logic. His main gripe? We are effectively letting minor league champions play for the biggest trophy in the sport.
Saban Drops the Hammer On the CFP Format
Saban, never one to shy away from an uncomfortable truth, compared the inclusion of James Madison and Tulane to letting a Triple-A baseball team take a swing at the World Series.
“Look, would we allow the winner of the Triple-A baseball league… in the World Series playoffs?” Saban asked McAfee, likely while visualizing a defensive breakdown in his head. “That’s the equivalent of what we do when JMU gets into the College Football Playoff, and Notre Dame doesn’t. I mean, I don’t want to start any sh*t here, but it is what it is.”
It is a harsh reality check. The current 12-team format guarantees spots for the five highest-ranked conference champions. That rule opened the door for Tulane (American champ) and James Madison (Sun Belt champ), regardless of where they sit in the overall pecking order compared to a team like Notre Dame, which finished ranked No. 11 but had no conference crown to save them.
The “Deserving” vs. “Qualified” Debate
Saban’s argument cuts to the core of a massive philosophical divide in the sport. Should the playoff be about the best teams, or the teams that checked a specific box on a piece of paper?
“To me, if you’re not in the Top 15, I don’t care what league you play in, you shouldn’t be in the Playoffs,” Saban said. “Because you’re taking somebody out of the Playoffs that deserved to be in.”
It is hard to argue with the man’s resume. When you’ve won seven national titles, you tend to know what a championship-caliber team looks like. His point is simple: by letting in a G5 team just because they won their specific league, you are actively excluding a Power Four team that has likely run a much harder gauntlet.
“Give them $4 million and put Notre Dame in,” Saban said, practically waving away the G5’s participation trophy. “You want to see Notre Dame and Oregon play? Hell yeah.”
What This Means For the Future
Saban isn’t just yelling at clouds here; he’s voicing what a lot of power brokers are thinking. The optics of leaving a 10-2 Notre Dame team out in the cold while James Madison (12-1) suits up against Oregon are jarring.
The Fighting Irish, for their part, were reportedly “stunned” and have already withdrawn from bowl consideration in protest. It is a mess. But it is the mess we signed up for when we demanded a more “inclusive” postseason.
While the little guys get their shot this week, the debate Saban ignited isn’t going away. As long as the format equates a Sun Belt title with a grueling SEC or Big Ten schedule, the “Triple-A” comparison is going to stick.
