Nick Saban isn’t used to watching the College Football Playoff from home, but this season his Alabama Crimson Tide were passed over by the selection committee following a two-loss season. With SEC foe Georgia facing TCU in the national championship game on Monday, Saban joined ESPN’s set as an analyst to discuss the game. He probably had no idea he was going to be on the receiving end of a subtle but vicious jab on set.
Georgia routed TCU 65-7 in the biggest blowout ever in a college football bowl game (let alone the national championship game). As the Bulldogs raced out to a huge halftime lead, Pollack — a standout defensive linemen for the Dawgs who became an NFL first round pick in 2005 — used the opportunity to hit Saban where it hurts. Sitting next to Saban on set, Pollack said: “Georgia, obviously we’ve seen in the past couple seasons now, they’ve taken hold of college football.”
Watch the video here:
The pain in Nick Saban’s eyes when David Pollack said Georgia is taking over college football pic.twitter.com/DGZP92hMmE
— Gifdsports (@gifdsports) January 10, 2023
Did Pollack really have to glare directly into Saban’s soul when he said that line? He knew exactly what he was doing.
Of course there were edits making fun of Saban. Here’s my personal favorite.
— Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) January 10, 2023
College football fans watching a boring blowout really just wanted to know what Saban was thinking:
Rece, if you're really about it, you turn to Nick Saban right now and ask if the Georgia Bulldogs are now the defining program of the Southeastern Conference. He's right there! He can't escape!
— Alex Kirshner (@alex_kirshner) January 10, 2023
can i get a broadcast feed that's just nick saban getting increasingly confused watching pat mcafee do television
— Robby Kalland (@RKalland) January 10, 2023
Nick Saban gets to sit on TV and explain how good Georgia played in the first half of the natty.
— Jon Tweets Sports (@jontweetssports) January 10, 2023
What a time to be alive.
Alabama is going to lose a ton of talent over the offseason — including the NFL Draft’s top defensive player in Will Anderson and top quarterback in Bryce Young — but the Tide will surely be loaded once again. Saban has some extra motivation to be out for vengeance next season.
Still, Pollack wasn’t wrong. Georgia just went back-to-back and has a great shot to win a three-peat next year even without QB Stetson Bennett IV, who is graduating (into a nursing home). Saban used to run college football, but now Kirby Smart and UGA do. No one will be surprised if these two conference rivals meet again in the SEC Championship Game next season.
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