Nick Saban Voices Concerns Over College Football Playoff Format
During a recent appearance on the “Pat McAfee Show,” legendary Alabama coach Nick Saban weighed in on the potential drawbacks of the new 12-team College Football Playoff (CFP) format. Saban, who has won seven national championships throughout his career, suggested that the format could result in some unintended consequences.
Specifically, Saban argued that the concept of giving conference champions a bye in the first round, despite not being the highest-ranked teams, could lead to the path to the championship being affected. He emphasized that the number one seed should have the easiest path to the championship, which is not the case with the current format.
Saban also expressed his doubts about rewarding teams with three losses, citing Alabama’s losses to Oklahoma and South Florida as examples. “Hard to reward a team with three losses,” Saban said. “Especially the kind of losses Ole Miss had and like Alabama’s had to pretty average teams.”
However, Saban did make an exception for the Georgia Bulldogs, who have two losses but are still in line to play in the SEC Championship game. Saban believes that if Georgia drops the game, they shouldn’t be eliminated from playoff consideration.
The current CFP rankings have Oregon atop the list, followed by Ohio State, Texas, Penn State, and Notre Dame. The format for the expanded playoff is scheduled to debut in the upcoming seasons.
