Nick Saban Says Oregon Fans Have Legitimate Gripe with CFP Path

The Ducks were blown out by Ohio State in the Rose Bowl on Wednesday.

Nick Saban says Oregon fans have a legitimate gripe when it comes to the tough College Football Playoff path they endured. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

No. 1 Oregon was blown out by the No. 8 seed Ohio State in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl on Wednesday by a final score of 41–21.

After defeating the Buckeyes in the regular season, the Ducks fell behind by as many as 34 points in the emphatic win for Ohio State.

The Buckeyes were indisputably the better team on Wednesday, but ESPN analyst and ex-coach Nick Saban told The Pat McAfee Show that Oregon fans have a legitimate gripe.

"If I was an Oregon fan, I have to say this because this kinda bothers me. You're the 13-0 number one seed and you've gotta play Ohio State in your first round. I'm not an internet guy, but if I was an Oregon fan I'd be on the internet screaming about that...living in my mother's basement," Saban said with a laugh.

"If I was an Oregon fan I wouldn't be happy about being 13-0 and playing Ohio State in your first playoff game..

I'm not an internet guy but if I was an Oregon fan I'd be on the internet screaming about that..

Living in my mother's basement" 😂😂

Coach Saban #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/YiOveQsVhj

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) January 2, 2025

Saban is right. The Ducks, despite going undefeated and beating both Ohio State and Penn State en route to capturing the program's first Big Ten title, somehow drew a bracket that included a game against the Buckeyes after a first-round bye. Meanwhile, the Nittany Lions played SMU and Boise State in their first two playoff games—and now sit in the CFP semifinal awaiting the winner of Notre Dame and Georgia in Thursday's Sugar Bowl.

Perhaps the seeding structure of the CFP will be reviewed in future iterations of the postseason, but despite the loss, Saban is confident that Oregon fans who are upset about the draw have legitimate reason to be feeling the way that they do.

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