Nick Saban Suffers Second Worst Defeat at Alabama in National Championship

What a national title game between Alabama and Georgia on Monday night.

In what was previewed as a clash of titans, it certainly lived up to the hype as two top tier programs clashed for the College Football Playoffs Final. The SEC battle for college football supremacy was a hard-fought affair.

Nick Saban Suffers Second Worst Defeat at Alabama in National Championship

In the National Championship Game, the Georgia Bulldogs defeated the Alabama Crimson Tide, ending Georgia’s championship drought since 1980. On the back of an elite defense, not only did the Bulldogs beat the Crimson Tide, but they handed Nick Saban his second-largest loss in Nick Saban’s tenure since 2007 (15 points). 

Saban’s largest loss as the head coach of Alabama came in the 2018-19 College Football Playoff Final against Clemson, where Trevor Lawrence handed him a 44-16 loss. Twice in the last four years, Saban has lost by double-digits in the championship game. 

Nick Saban Will Respond as He Always Does

Entering a game against the best defense in college football without one of your top wide receivers is never a good recipe. John Metchie III was out coming into the game, and Alabama lost their other top receiving option in Jameson Williams to a knee injury early in the second quarter. 

Their young and inexperienced wide receivers were thrown into the fire, and didn’t appear to be ready for the limelight against such an elite defense. Agiye Hall and Ja’Corey Brooks could be future stars, but they struggled with a couple drops and weren’t enough to overcome Georgia. They’ll be ready next time.

This is nowhere close to a scenario where I’m panicking about Saban and the Crimson Tide. Saban has a relentless work ethic and competitiveness, and has led one of the most successful programs in college football history. Last year, after defeating Ohio State in the Finals, he held a staff meeting at 7:30 a.m. two days after winning a championship. He is never not trying to be better.

Since taking over at Alabama, Saban has a record of 183-25. He has won six national titles in nine appearances between the BCS era and the College Football Playoff era. The machine will keep going in Alabama.