In an interview with Fox Sports’ Joel Klatt, Alabama head coach Nick Saban covered a wide range of topics including NIL, adapting in the modern landscape of college football, recruiting, and of course, the playoff system in place and how is it going to change.
However, one of the more prominent points of discussion was how the “best four teams in the country” were evaluated in this past season’s playoff conversation. Nick Saban still wholeheartedly believes that even though Alabama lost two games, the Crimson Tide should have been included in the College Football Playoff.
“All we do is take the teams that win the most games at the end of the year, put them in the playoffs. But do you really get the best teams? When they told me that we would be favored against three out of the four teams that got in the playoff, I’m like, why aren’t we in the playoffs?” Saban stated to Klatt.
While I understand Saban’s point and the undeniable reality is that Alabama was at least better than TCU and one of the four best teams in the country, it is time for Saban to turn the page. Alabama did not take care of their business. The Crimson Tide lost two games, and while they were on the last play of the game, the record was what it was.
Would Alabama have presented a bigger challenge to Georgia than TCU? Of course it would have. But it doesn’t matter now. Alabama has bigger fish to fry at this point. Like maybe, perhaps figuring out how to not miss the playoff again in 2023.
Nick Saban needs to stop dwelling on the past and instead look to the future.
