Alabama coach Nick Saban isn’t running from his belief that the College Football Playoff is bad for bowl games.
The seven-time national champion hasn’t been shy about how he thinks the playoff hurts other bowl games, and he doubled down during a recent interview. (RELATED: David Hookstead Is The True King In The North When It Comes To College Football)
Saban said the following on “All Things Covered” podcast, according to CBS Sports:
Bowl games have always been a positive thing for college football players because a lot of people get a lot of self-gratification for having a good season. Maybe you didn’t win a championship or whatever, but you get a chance to go to a good bowl game and have some fun. It’s a really good, positive reinforcement for college football players…My issue is not with expanding the playoff, it’s the more you expand the playoff, the less important bowl games become. Nobody talks about bowl games now. All they talk about is who’s in the playoffs and who are the four teams. That’s it.
I understand the point Saban is making, and he’s also 100% correct. Since we went to a four team playoff, other bowl games have mattered a lot less.
It’s just reality. At this point, it’s the playoff or bust for everyone. Back in the day, playing in the Outback Bowl might have been great for some teams.
To a degree, bowl games have lost their shine because so much attention is powered on the four squads in the playoff.
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At the same time, I don’t really have a problem with the main focus being on the playoff. This is America. In this country we celebrate winners.
Why does everyone view Saban as the greatest college coach ever? Because he has seven rings. It’s that simple.
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If you want to be in the spotlight, then make the playoff. It’s that simple.