Nick Saban questions the sanity of Buckeye fans ahead of the Michigan game originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Nick Saban might be the greatest college football coach of all time. After that, his second greatest contribution to the sport might be the soundbite gems he gives as an authority on the sport.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementMost of his get lines come courtesy of the Pat McAfee Show and ESPN’s College Gameday. On Wednesday, Saban added to his greatest hits by taking a familiar shot at the Ohio State faithful.
A highly debated topic among college football fans is “who has the best rivalry”? Without going into those particulars, its safe to assume that the Ohio State vs Michigan rivalry is absolutely in that conversation. A rivalry that is 120 years old where neither team has dominated the other in the all time record.
Saban doesn’t seem to understand the order of priorities. Depending on the year and rankings position of the respective teams, its not uncommon for Buckeyes or Wolverines fans to suggest they don’t care how the season goes as long as they beat that rival.
On Wednesday, Saban questioned the sanity of Buckeye fans who subscribe to that notion. His issue does not seem to be a steadfast and adamant intention to beat Michigan. His issue is with fans prioritizing beating Michigan over winning a National Championship.
The interesting wrinkle in Saban’s comments is that Wednesday was not the first time he’s had this take. In 2024 Ohio State had a bad end to the regular season, including losing the annual rivalry game against Michigan.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAs negative sentiment about the Buckeyes’ playoff chances mounted, many fans were left to view beating Michigan as a consolation prize. Or at the very least, the one thing that will save the overall season. As it turned out, Ryan Day’s Buckeyes used that win to galvanize their efforts before winning the National Championship last year.
Ohio State vs Michigan will carry the weight it almost always does. However, there are new stakes involved that speaks to Saban’s prioritizing message. If Ohio State wins, they should be the No. 1 seed in the 12-team college football playoff and have a beneficial draw. If Michigan wins, it would be a significant upset and would likely catapult Michigan into college football playoff contention in the final week.
No. 1 Ohio State travels to Ann Arbor to take on No. 15 Michigan this week. That game will kickoff at Noon ET and air on Fox. That game is the Fox Big Noon Kickoff, and the Fox crew will be on location in Ann Arbor.
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