No one knows how competitive the upper level of college football is better than legendary former Alabama head coach Nick Saban. And it’s armed with that knowledge, that Sabam believes James Madison and Tulane don’t belong.
During a Thursday appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, Saban was even so direct as to compare allowing JMU and Tulane to make this year’s 12-team field to Major League Baseball letting its Triple-A champion into the World Series.
“Look, would we allow the winner of the Triple-A baseball league … in the World Series playoffs?” Saban asked rhetorically. “That’s the equivalent of what we do when JMU gets into the College Football Playoff, and Notre Dame doesn’t. I mean, I don’t want to start any shit here, but it is what it is.”
Saban is not the first to make this point, though, given his stature in college football and his platform at ESPN. He may well be the most impactful person to say it. The issue came into focus especially this year when Notre Dame found itself on the outside looking in after the College Football Playoff (CFP) Selection Committee bumped the Irish to make space for two Group of 5 (G5) qualifiers – Tulane and JMU.
The committee reserved two spots for the best conference champions from conferences outside the Big Ten, SEC, ACC, and Big 12, primarily to avoid anti-monopoly lawsuits from those conferences. However, after seeing deserving teams like Notre Dame, Texas, and Vanderbilt left out in the cold, some, Saban chief among them, are making the case that it’s time to find another solution.
“To me, if you’re not in the Top 15, I don’t care what league you play in, you shouldn’t be in the Playoffs. JMU, whoever it is, if you’re not in the Top 15, … it doesn’t matter. Because you’re taking somebody out of the Playoffs that deserved to be in the Playoffs,” Saban continued. “So you can think about it one way, like we’re letting someone from the Group of Five in, but you’re also taking somebody that should be out, and that’s not fair. That’s my whole point about would we let the AAA baseball team who wins their league play for the World Series. Doesn’t happen; it’s a different league.
“These guys ought to have their own playoff. If it’s all about money, just give them the money. … Give them $4 million and put Notre Dame in. You want to see Notre Dame and Oregon play? Hell yeah.”
As it stands, on Saturday, Tulane is set to take on Ole Miss, and James Madison is set to face Oregon. Both JMU and Tulane are at or near three-touchdown underdogs, depending on which betting site you look at. In addition, both head coaches have one foot out the door, as they are moving on to bigger jobs next year.
If JMU and Tulane lose big this weekend, as they likely will, while Notre Dame sits at home doing nothing, the demand for change will only increase.
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