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 several years due to the recent reorganization of several of the largest teams 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 some of those customs will eventually fade into obscurity.”
“It’s sad.”
Given that the Pac-12 has been dismantled over the last several days due to the agreements of Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, Oregon, Utah, and Washington to leave for other conferences, Saban’s nostalgia is understandable.
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 toward 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 programs involved, 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 jobs both on and off the field. And perhaps, some of the decisions we make going forward with collegiate athletics will have an in a constructive manner. And whatever we decide to do with college football and athletics in the future, I hope we can maintain that as our top priority.”
