Gambling Buzzwords Didn’t Help Nick Saban In College Football Playoff Plea

Alabama head coach Nick Saban unapologetically pleaded to the College Football Playoff committee Saturday in hopes the Crimson Tide would have a chance to compete for the national title despite their two-loss campaign which also featured a few lackluster victories.

Saban did so by dropping a few gambling buzzwords, suggesting Alabama would be “favored” against TCU or Ohio State, the two other programs vying for the third or fourth seeds.

“I guess I would ask the question: If we played these teams in question, would we be underdogs in the game or not?” Saban said on ESPN’s “The College Football Show,” referencing TCU and Ohio State. “That should answer everybody’s questions relative to who the best teams are at present. That’s how this should play out.”

Saban and the Crimson Tide, however, weren’t granted the opportunity. Alabama was left out of the four-team playoff with SEC champion Georgia being the lone representative of the typically-dominant conference. Both TCU and Ohio State, two 11-1 teams compared to the Crimson Tide’s 10-2 mark, earned spots in the playoff along with unbeaten Big 10 champion Michigan.

College Football Playoff: Alabama Left Out As Four Teams Revealed

Dec 4, 2022

Chris Fowler, broadcaster on ESPN’s “College GameDay,” went on the Worldwide Leader on Sunday afternoon during the “College Football Selection Show” and said how believed the committee got it correct. Fowler even expressed how he was glad bookmakers in Las Vegas did not play a role in determining the four semifinalists, an acknowledgment of Saban’s comments one day prior.

In fairness, Saban’s point wasn’t just related to the Crimson Tide being favored against the Horned Frogs of Buckeyes. He also pointed out Saturday how both of Alabama’s losses were against teams that were ranked inside the top 10. It didn’t matter.

After the team’s fate was determined Sunday, Saban went on ESPN and expressed his disappointment that the Crimson Tide did not make the playoff, only the second time Alabama has missed the Final Four. Saban, though, didn’t double down on his claims relating to how the Crimson Tide would perform against either of the two teams that made it instead of them.

The Bulldogs opened as a 6.5-point favorite against the Buckeyes while the Wolverines opened as a 9.5-point favorite against the Horned Frogs on DraftKings Sportsbook.