"That's my only concern about it": Nick Saban details the "downside" of new College Football Playoff format
Former Alabama head coach Nick Saban recently voiced his concerns about the new College Football Playoff format during this Wednesday’s SEC Media Days Live.
Saban, who now serves as an analyst for ESPN, critiqued the expansion to 12 teams, which includes automatic bids for power conference winners and the highest-ranked group of five teams. He argued that the focus should be on selecting the 12 best teams, regardless of conference titles.
“The downside of the [new format] is I just wish we could put the 12 best teams in the playoffs. Not worry about conference champions and all that kind of stuff. If you do get beat in the conference championship game and you're one of the best teams, you should still get in there because you played really quality opponents and you played good football.”
“That's my only concern about it. I just want to see the best 12 teams in it, and I think most people want to see the best 12 teams in it.”
The automatic bid for a group of five schools could allow a less competitive team to make the playoffs. For instance, last season's #23 ranked Liberty, would have qualified under this new system, despite not being one of the top teams.
The automatic bids for conference winners mean that even stronger teams from the SEC and Big Ten could be excluded in favor of weaker champions from the Big 12 and ACC.
Nick Saban's Predictions for the 2024 SEC Championship
Nick Saban shared his thoughts on the upcoming 2024 SEC Championship Game and mentioned Georgia and Texas as likely competitors. Despite acknowledging Alabama's strengths, especially with Jalen Milroe, Saban discussed concerns about the unresolved issues in their secondary.
“I think Texas, if their defense comes through and they can replace some of the interior people they lost that were high draft picks and all that, they’re really good offensively... even though their quarterback has missed time."
Talking about Texas, he stressed the importance of their defense stepping up to fill the gaps left by high draft picks. He then went on to praise Arch Manning's spring game performance, where he completed 21 of 25 passes for 347 yards.
“That depth at quarterback is probably really important for them because Ewers has missed time the last couple years, a game or two, which could really affect where you end up. So I really like Texas. I think Georgia’s got a really good team.”
Saban believes this depth can impact Texas's success, and positions them as a strong contender alongside Georgia.