Fans Roasted ESPN’s Paul Finebaum for Dubious Nick Saban Opinion

Alabama’s Nick Saban is considered by many to be the best college football coach ever, but in the past two years he saw protégé Kirby Smart win back-to-back national championships at rival Georgia.

Additionally, the Crimson Tide missed the College Football Playoff last year for only the second time since the Playoff began in 2015. With all that in mind, Saban is at risk of hurting his legacy in the twilight of his career, according to ESPN’s Paul Finebaum.

“If he is in the same league as someone who, at the end of the season, has won three, that’s a big hit on his legacy,” Finebaum said on First Take, referring to the possibility of Smart and Georgia winning another national title.

Although Finebaum said he didn’t want to take away from Saban’s seven national championships, the famed college football analyst believes last year’s disappointment was a stain on Saban’s record, especially considering he had two of the top three picks in the 2023 NFL draft.

“I think you also have to question Saban for what happened last year. He had the best team in the country going in, they were nearly unanimous,” Finebaum said. “And with that he still couldn’t get it done.”

However, that take did not sit well with college football fans, many of whom think Saban already has done enough to cement his legacy.