ESPN’s College GameDay brought a heavyweight debate to Coleman Coliseum on Saturday morning, and Nick Saban ended up siding with the team that may not make Alabama fans happiest.
With No. 2 Georgia and No.
6 Alabama set for their matchup at Bryant-Denny Stadium at 7:30 p.m. EDT on ABC, the discussion around the best team in the country had plenty of candidates.
Both unbeaten programs entered at 5-0 overall and 3-0 in SEC play, and both have made strong cases for being the nation’s top squad.
Georgia’s resume has been built on control. Its narrowest margin of victory through five weeks was last week’s 38-14 win over Vanderbilt, and the Bulldogs have looked like their old selves on defense again. On offense, they’ve leaned on the run game and short passing attack to keep things moving.
Alabama, meanwhile, has looked reborn. The Crimson Tide’s offense has pushed them back into the national championship conversation, while the defense and passing game have stayed steady. Better play at the offensive point of attack has made this version of Alabama more complete than the team it fielded in 2025.
But on the “College GameDay Dashboard” segment, Kirk Herbstreit went in a different direction entirely.
“I think the best team in college football resides in Miami of Florida,” Herbstreit said. “Darian Mensah, the quarterback, Damon Wilson, despite all the injuries on that defense, the Canes are only going to get healthier. Right now, I give Miami the nod.”
That choice drew a crowd reaction in Tuscaloosa, but Saban backed him up.
“I agree with you on that one, they're very good,” Saban said. “That's who I would pick at this point. But, I am not giving up on the Tide, they will roll on.”
Miami is 5-0 and hasn’t faced a ranked opponent yet, with its next chance coming at Notre Dame on Nov. 7. The Hurricanes have handled Florida A&M and Central Michigan in non-conference play, both in comfortable fashion.
They opened the season with a 45-6 ACC win at Stanford, a game in which they pulled their starters after three quarters. Their tightest win so far came in Week 3, a 33-20 road victory at Wake Forest, and that result has aged well after Wake Forest beat Louisville on the road the next week and then routed Stanford at home.
Miami’s latest statement came in a 41-13 road win at Clemson. The Tigers are 2-1 in their first three ACC games, but they were not competitive in either of their matchups against ranked opponents, including a 51-10 loss at LSU.
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