Nov 25, 2023; Auburn, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide wide receiver Isaiah Bond (17) celebrates his game winning touchdown in the end zone during the fourth quarter against the Auburn Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
The bad news is that Alabama only completed 33 percent of its third-down opportunities, totaled 23 running yards and 14 penalties for 99 yards, gave up six sacks, and had a sixth (!) touchdown this season called back due to a penalty.
Nick Saban of Alabama has a special place in his heart for college football heritage since he has spent decades coaching at the university level.
And Saban is frustrated that a lot of history will be ignored over the next few years due to the recent reorganisation of several of the largest clubs and conferences in the sport.
“There’s a lot of traditions that we’ve had for a long time in college football,” Saban stated. “… and hence
While Oregon and Washington will be joining USC and UCLA in the Big 10 starting in the 2024 season, Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, and Utah are all headed towards joining the Big 12.
Classic rivalries like the Apple Cup between Washington and Washington State and the Civil War between Oregon and Oregon State may be put on hold for a few years as a result of their actions.
But that’s really the tip of the iceberg.
Although the latest adjustments will mostly affect the Pac-12, Saban and Alabama will also be impacted because Oklahoma and Texas are scheduled to join the SEC in the upcoming season.
Motivated by the financial rewards of the programmes concerned, Saban hopes that none of these actions will have a detrimental effect on the experiences of collegiate athletes.
“Whether it’s good, bad or indifferent for college football—I guess you have to define what is good and bad for college football,” Saban commented on the actions. “So, I think one thing I would just hope that we would keep in mind in all the choices and decisions we make relative to what we do in college athletics is the student-athlete,” he said.
“Their goals are to acquire knowledge and be assisted in pursuing vocations both on and off the pitch. And perhaps some of the decisions we make now for collegiate athletics will have a favourable effect on them later on. And I’m hoping that we can prioritise that over everything else we decide to do in
