Nick Saban didn’t mince words when the idea of a 24-team College Football Playoff came up Friday morning.
Appearing on the New Heights podcast, the former Alabama coach pushed back hard on the proposed expansion, which would double the current playoff field if it takes effect next season. For Saban, the math is simple.
“It’s too many,” Saban said when asked for his opinion. “There’s not 24 teams in the country that can win the National Championship.
So, what is the reason to actually do it? It’s about the money.
“If we just put the right 12 teams in and didn’t go through all the political BS that we went through so we can have a 12-team Playoff, and end up putting a couple of teams in that shouldn’t be in, and then some other teams that didn’t get in should have gotten in. That was a good tournament.”
The proposed move has become one of the biggest talking points in college football over the past few weeks, with fans, analysts and coaches all weighing in on what doubling the playoff field could mean for the sport.
Saban also raised concerns about the possible end of conference championship games, especially in the SEC.
His comments fit into a broader wave of criticism around the direction college football has taken in recent years, with many around the sport arguing that money is driving too many of the decisions being made at the top. The 24-team idea is only the latest change to reshape the game this decade, and Saban made clear what he thinks is behind it.
In Other News...
Stephen A. Just Turned Up The Pressure On Kalen DeBoer
Alabamas season has reached the point where every stumble gets magnified, and Stephen A. Smith made sure the latest one landed with extra force. With the Crimson Tide sitting at 6-2, the spotlight has only intensified on Kalen DeBoer, whose first year in Tuscaloosa has already been measured against the programs usual standard of near-perfection and playoff contention.
The timing matters because LSU is next, and it is the kind of game that can either steady the season or deepen the questions around where Alabama is headed. Smiths criticism only adds to the pressure surrounding a team that is still ranked, still in the mix, and still expected to look more like Alabama, even as the margin for error keeps shrinking. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Showed One New Strength Nate Oats Has Been Demanding
Nate Oats spent the offseason stressing a point Alabama could not ignore after its 2025-26 NCAA Tournament loss: the Crimson Tide had to get better on the glass. In the 2026-27 season opener against Arkansas State, that message showed up in a big way, as Alabama piled up 25 offensive rebounds, the most in the Oats era, and turned those extra possessions into a 101-86 win.
Even with the shot not falling the way Alabama would have liked, the rebounding edge gave the Tide a cushion and a clear early sign of progress in an area Oats has been pushing for months. It was also notable because Alabama did it without its best offensive rebounder, Jaxon Richardson, which only adds another layer to what the team may be capable of once that part of the rotation is fully in place. [Read more 🡒]
Keelon Russell Faces A Huge Alabama Weekend With More Than Heisman Stakes
A packed college football weekend is putting several of the sports biggest names under the microscope, and Alabama fans have a particular reason to keep one eye on the Heisman race and another on the schedule. Keelon Russell is among the quarterbacks whose performance could ripple beyond the standings, with his game carrying weight not just for Alabamas playoff hopes but also for the way the sports hottest players are being tracked in the card market.
The broader slate features other Heisman hopefuls such as Jeremiah Smith, Kenny Minchey, Sam Leavitt, Trinidad Chambliss, Gunner Stockton, Devon Dampier and Bear Bachmeier, turning the weekend into a referendum on momentum as much as talent. For collectors, the stakes are tied to more than wins and losses, since player performances can move card values quickly, and the mix of licensed and unlicensed cards adds another layer to how these names are being chased. [Read more 🡒]