On Friday, Nick Saban spent 12-plus minutes in an on-air conversation with Dan Patrick. The video is provided below and it is well worth a full viewing. As always, every answer given by Nick Saban, and every point made, is worthwhile to ponder.
Speaking about the current and future state of college football, Saban provided a framework for where the game is headed in terms of conference expansions and Playoff opportunities. As always, Saban’s perspectives were sensible, even though on one point, one idea was quite radical.
Talking about conference expansions, he made reference to mega conferences.
"I think we’re probably headed in the direction, like it or not, of mega conferences. How that all turns out and what’s too big and what’s not big enough is probably a pretty good question to try to figure out.But I’m not sure anybody has the answer to that right now and maybe we have two or three mega conferences and then, that’s where the playoff teams come from. I really don’t know."
Saban added mega conferences would not be good for all programs, particularly in terms of qualifying for the College Football Playoff.
"It’s probably going to be good for some people, but it’s not going to be good for all people because everybody won’t be able to compete at that level, so it will create a separation. Like, at least probably 50% of the schools that are considered Division I schools right now would not be able to compete that way."
Nick Saban and a radical idea
Then came the radical wrinkle, that perhaps in Playoff qualification, maybe college football will need something akin to the promotion and relegation used by international soccer (football) leagues.
"Now, maybe you come up with some kind of way like they do in soccer where … you have a really good team at Wichita State and you can qualify for the playoffs even though you don’t play in that division."
Alabama football fans will likely be even more interested in Nick Saban’s answer to Patrick’s question, “When was the last time Nick Saban was truly tempted to leave Alabama?”
"I’ve never been tempted to leave Alabama. I think that after your journey, we all have journeys in life and you find out about yourself a little bit more in each choice and each decision that you make along the way.… when I got the opportunity to come to Alabama, I was like, ‘This is it for me.’ I’ve really not had a lot of temptation to go any place else."
Saban’s answer elicits no surprise. As I wrote a couple of weeks ago, applying a test of narrative fidelity to the claim Saban almost left Alabama for ESPN after the 2013 Iron Bowl – the story did not ring true for me.
No offense is intended to the source of that claim, reporter and author, John Talty. His new book on Saban should be a great read.
Note: Quotes were obtained from transcripts provided by On3.com and 247Sports.
The video also includes Nick Saban’s comments on NIL and the Texas A&M Aggies program.