The former Alabama coach turned ESPN analyst weighed in Sunday on what might be the toughest selection decision the College Football Playoff committee has faced since the bracket expanded to 12 teams.
Nick Saban spoke during the network’s selection show just before the committee revealed its final rankings, acknowledging the difficulty of choosing between Alabama, Notre Dame, and Miami for the last two at-large spots.
The legendary coach said seven teams had clearly separated themselves from the rest of the field. He pointed to Oklahoma as having offensive issues all season, despite making the playoff field. Notre Dame started slowly with early losses but looked strong down the stretch based on what Saban called the eye test.
Miami stumbled in the middle of their season but finished with momentum. Alabama put together what Saban described as the most impressive stretch during the middle of the season when they beat Georgia in Athens and then rattled off wins against several ranked opponents.
Saban comment was shared by Awful Announcing on X:
Nick Saban on the College Football Playoff: “Right now, if we had AI, and they had all the information, they would have one hell of a time trying to figure out what this committee’s gotta figure out in terms of these last three or four teams.” 🏈🎙️ #CFB #CFP pic.twitter.com/Bzo6nGaBxE
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) December 7, 2025
Saban Questions Whether Group of Five Teams Belong in Expanded Field
Saban laid out his concerns about the current playoff structure during the selection show earlier. He talked about how Alabama dealt with injuries late in the year, noting that teams have to overcome those issues but acknowledging the Crimson Tide had not played to their earlier standard in recent weeks.
“Right now, if we had AI and they had all the information, they would have one hell of a time trying to figure out what this committee’s gotta figure out in terms of these last three or four teams,” Saban said.
The committee kept Alabama at No. 9 despite the loss to Georgia. Miami moved up to No. 10 and got in as the final at-large team. Notre Dame finished No. 11 and became the first team left out. Tulane earned the No. 11 seed as the American Conference champion, while Sun Belt winner James Madison grabbed the No. 12 seed as the fifth highest-ranked conference champion.
After the field was announced, Saban addressed the inclusion of Group of Five teams over Power Four programs with better records and rankings.
“I think the fact of the matter is that all three of those teams should have gotten in, and deserved the right to play in the College Football Playoff,” he said, referring to Alabama, Miami, and Notre Dame. “I think you’re going to have two teams in the playoff, no disrespect to the Group of Five, that are nowhere near ranked as highly as some other teams that are much better than them.”
Alabama will face Oklahoma in the first round on December 19. The matchup gives both teams a chance to show whether the committee made the right call including them in the field over Notre Dame and other bubble teams.
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