Which team has beaten Nick Saban the most? Looking into the fiercest rival of the coaching legend
Nick Saban is not unbeatable. But by all accounts, he is the closest any CFB coach has come to being unbeatable in a sense. Even so, many teams have already beaten the legendary coach's team more than once.
So, which team has beaten Nick Saban the most? We will answer that question here. And you might be surprised at the answer as well.
As of 2023, the Auburn Tigers have won the most games vs. Saban. They've beaten the legendary coach eight times in total.
We came upon this number by looking at a Bleacher Report article published in 2016, which said the Tigers have beaten Saban six times. Then, we just added how many more times the team beat Saban since. We found out that the last two defeats Auburn handed the coach was in 2017 and 2019.
Auburn and Alabama are a rivalry, even if they're not on the same level as, say, Michigan vs. Ohio State. Also, some folks might think that of all the schools to beat Saban numerous times, Auburn might've been among the most unlikely. The Tigers aren't always favored to beat the Crimson Tide when they meet, but it seems they've been quite successful overall.
When Nick Saban loses, everything stops
Nick Saban's overall record as a college football coach is a colossal 281-69-1. This gives him a .805 win percentage, which is among the highest the NCAA gridiron has ever seen. His record as Crimson Tide HC is even crazier, with a 195-27 win-loss record for 'Bama overall.
As a result, when Saban does lose, it puts the entire world of college football on notice. Here are the few most notable losses of the Nick Saban era in Alabama are as follows (via AL.com):
2008, SEC Championship game vs. Florida
People were kind of expecting 'Bama to win and not win at the same time, given it was only Saban's second season coaching the team. They looked comfortable in the fourth quarter of that game, until Tim Tebow helped the Gators score 14 unanswered points to win and move on to the BCS title game.
2013, Auburn's 'Kick Six' at the Iron Bowl
One of eight Tigers victories over Saban, the 2013 "Kick Six" game prevented Alabama from going undefeated and winning its third-straight national title. The Tide looked to tie the game with a 57-yard field goal attempt in the waning moments, but the kick fell short. This allowed Auburn's Chris Davis to catch the ball just short of the goal posts. He then ran across the field straight to the end zone, winning the game.
2018, Clemson witnesses a 'Bama meltdown
For some reason, this game just saw Nick Saban's boys seemingly fold under the bright lights of competition. Clemson's receivers were just blitzing their way through the Tide's defense, and 'Bama just couldn't seem to convert in the red zone.