"He's done a lot for this game": Georgia HC Kirby Smart on Alabama HC Nick Saban on their friendship and rivalry
The history of college football cannot be complete without talking about Nick Saban. The Southeastern Conference's place as the top conference today happened because of the groundwork that Saban has set.
On "The Paul Finebaum Show," Georgia coach Kirby Smart laid a lot of praise for the SEC at the Alabama coach's feet:
"Nick (Saban) has been tremendous for our sport. Nobody has moved the college football game more than he has. ... The SEC is the premierlplace primarily because he started bringing national championships there when he came to LSU. He's done a lot for this game."
These two have a long history together, both on the same team and going against one another. Smart was the defensive backs coach for the LSU Tigers in 2004 while Saban was the head coach. Smart also was the assistant head coach and defensive backs coach in 2007 as well as the defensive coordinator from 2008-15 for the Alabama Crimson Tide under Saban.
The SEC has won the last four national championships and 13 since 2006. Nick Saban has had his hands all over that era.
Saban, who has won more national college football championships than any other coach in history, has won six at Alabama after winning one in 2003 at LSU. Alabama also finished as the runner-up in the College Football Playoff three times (once to Georgia). Plus, LSU, which struggled in the 1990s, won two more national titles (in 2007 and 2019) after Saban elevated the program.
Nick Saban and Kirby Smart have been running college football with the previous three NCAA championships. Can we expect a fourth consecutive championship happening from one of these two incredible coaches?
How will Kirby Smart's Georgia Bulldogs and Nick Saban's Alabama Crimson Tide look this season?
Nick Saban will need to figure out who will be Alabama's starting quarterback as Bryce Young was selected first in the 2023 NFL draft. The offense ranked tied for fourth in the country with 41.1 points per game. Saban has figured out how to have a completely dominant offensive strategy, and offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Tommy Rees has the answer but has not let it leave Tuscaloosa.
Their defense is going to step up, and Saban should control things in the SEC as one of the country's best programs.
The Georgia Bulldogs have lost a lot of talent from their back-to-back college football championships. They no longer have quarterback Stetson Bennett, defensive tackle Jalen Carter and offensive tackle Broderick Jones to name a few. They also scored 41.1 ppg, and this will be one of the toughest teams to project for Kirby Smart and his staff.
Expect the SEC to remain one of the toughest to predict as both programs are some of the favorites for this season's national championship.