CFP Committee Knew of Nick Saban’s Retirement and Snuck Him into Playoffs 1 Last Time, According to Ex-Georgia Bulldogs RB James Cook

Current Buffalo Bills and former Georgia Bulldogs running back James Cook felt his alma mater was unfairly left out of the College Football Playoff (CFP) because the committee was aware of an impending retirement from Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban.

In an article from 247Sports, Cook explained his reasoning for why he thought the Georgia Bulldogs should not have been left out, even citing a similar past situation.

“We were supposed to be in the playoffs this year,” Cook told USA Today Sports this week. “If Georgia was in the playoffs this year, we win it all. And I think they didn’t want to see us go back-to-back (to back). We lost one game to Alabama in the SEC Championship and hadn’t been beaten the whole season. It was the same scenario my last year in college. We won every game, lost to Alabama in the SEC Championship, but we still got in and won it all.

“I just feel like they knew Nick Saban was fixing to retire, so they (tried to) sneak him in one.)”

The Georgia Bulldogs only lost one game, but it was to the Nick Saban-led Alabama Crimson Tide

The Georgia Bulldogs finished the regular season 12-0, and their only loss before the College Football Playoff came against the Nick Saban-led Alabama Crimson Tide in the SEC Championship. The Georgia Bulldogs lost by just three points after never letting anyone finish a game within seven points for the whole year.

Alabama takes the lead back from Georgia after this Jam Miller wheel route from Jalen Milroe

7-7 ‘Bama over the Dawgs pic.twitter.com/k3dkbQ5DZX

— New York Sports Midia (@NYSMidia) December 2, 2023

Jalen Milroe ➡️ Jermaine Burton

The former Georgia Bulldog scores against his own team to make it a two-score game at halftime 🏈 pic.twitter.com/tuf5UFQkjw

— 247Sports (@247Sports) December 2, 2023

#ALABAMA WINS THE SEC CHAMPIONSHIP 🏆

Jalen Milroe & the Crimson Tide have snapped #Georgia’s 29-game win streak 😱#RollTide | @AlabamaFTBL pic.twitter.com/xHyBJiXLeL

— The Athletes Plug (@TheAthletesPlug) December 3, 2023

In the same 247Sports article, Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart says he felt that his team deserved to be in the playoffs.

“I personally feel like we deserved to be in,” Smart said in December. “We’ve got a really good football team, and we’re considered No. 1 in the country all year, then fail. We have a hornet’s nest around here, too, of players that are disappointed. That works both ways.”

Nick Saban’s Alabama Crimson Tide did not come out of the regular season unscathed. Before facing off against the Georgia Bulldogs in the SEC Championship, they dropped an early-season matchup to the Texas Longhorns. The Longhorns also found their way into the College Football Playoff, despite losing to the Oklahoma Sooners.

Outside of the Georgia Bulldogs, Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide got in over an undefeated conference champion

When the CFP committee decided to put the Alabama Crimson Tide into the playoffs, the Florida State Seminoles were sitting at 13-0 as the champions of the ACC. Many considered the fact that the Seminoles were left out to be the most egregious display of SEC bias in the history of the CFP.

Florida State Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell and his team were shocked that they did not make it into the playoffs. They won all their games along with their conference championship, and many felt like there wasn’t anything else they could have done.

FSU reaction to Alabama making the cut to the playoff pic.twitter.com/2pcFV4trJ9

— GC (@ValverdeSZN) December 3, 2023

The injury of starting quarterback Jordan Travis was cited as one of the reasons they were left out, despite the fact that the Ohio State Buckeyes won the national championship with their third-string quarterback in the first year of the CFP.

#CountdownToKickoff: 1⃣ day 🙌

Cardale Jones (@CJ1two) starred in his 1⃣st career start, leading @OhioStateFB to a 59-0 win in the B1G title game. 🏆#B1Gstats pic.twitter.com/xtXdM0sxbU

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) August 26, 2022

Cardale Jones & Ohio State vs Oregon in the 2014-15 National Championship!

Jones: 16/23, 242 yds, 1 TD-1 INT | 38 rushing yards – 1 rushing TD (42-20 W)

(@CJ1two) pic.twitter.com/1m8kLtSia7

— Four Verts 🏈 (@FourVerticals_) October 16, 2019

The CFP’s knowledge of Nick Saban’s retirement and whether it affected who made it into the playoffs is speculation on the part of former Georgia Bulldogs running back James Cook.

In another article from 247Sports, ESPN’s Paul Finebaum said he was told Nick Saban might retire right after the Alabama Crimson Tide beat the Georgia Bulldogs in the SEC championship.

“I don’t want to act like I knew it would happen, but I was prepared,” Finebaum said. “I’d been following the story very closely. I got a call the day after the SEC Championship Game in early December from one of his coaches, somebody I’ve been friends with a long time and he said, ‘you better keep your eye on Nick. He told me the other day he’s tired and I think he’s going to quit.'”

If Finebaum knew, there is certainly a chance that the people who make up the CFP committee knew as well. Whether that knowledge would have affected their decision-making process is unknown.

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