Nick Saban is now a full-time analyst for ESPN. (University of Alabama Athletics/Facebook)
The start of this year's college football season means something different for Nick Saban.
Instead of making final preparations in Tuscaloosa, Saban traveled across the ocean to attend Georgia Tech's season opener against Florida State in Ireland before beginning a new full-time job as a commentator for ESPN's College GameDay.
Read on to see what Saban had to say about the Crimson Tide and other SEC teams, plus his full predictions for the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff.
Alabama's Saban
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It's fair to say no one in the media knows this year's Alabama team better than Nick Saban, and even with the retirement of their legendary coach, expectations for the Crimson Tide are sky-high.
Alabama was a big talking point during the first gameday show of the season, and Saban offered some thoughts on his former team.
“That team has the same culture that it had when I was coach. They play tough, they play hard. They execute well, they're disciplined. Karen's done a really good job.”
~ Nick Saban for ESPN
Saban said he has high hopes for the offensive line with Jalen Milroe back in the backfield along with Jam Miller and Justise Haynes, but he also said he got a good look at the team in recent scrimmages and spoke highly of the Tide's defense.
That's why Saban has included Alabama in his College Football Playoff projections, ranking them seventh in the 12-team group. Saban didn't provide an exact win projection, but the Crimson Tide will need to win at least 10 games to earn that position.
The Rest of the SEC
Saban had four SEC teams in his top 12, including Georgia, and noted that only Alabama has beaten Kirby Smart's teams over the past three seasons, predicting the Bulldogs will ultimately win the national championship.
Other conference teams in line with Saban's playoff predictions are:
He also named Missouri and Tennessee as the first two teams eliminated from the playoffs.
Auburn University has also been in the discussion, with Saban saying the Tigers could be the most improved team in the entire conference.
College Football Playoff Predictions
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Before the show ended, all members of the College GameDay panel revealed their complete playoff predictions for 2024. This year will be the first time that a 12-team playoff will take place, with five of those teams earning automatic berths as the highest-ranked conference champions.
Here's Saban's full projected field:
Georgia Ohio State Florida State Utah Texas Oregon Alabama Miss Pennsylvania State Notre Dame LSU Liberty
Of course, some of that is subject to change, especially considering Georgia Tech's upset win over Florida State on Saturday.
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