Oklahoma State Won't Face Nick Saban in Home and Home Against Alabama Starting in 2028

Nick Saban recently retired from the Alabama football program at the age of 72 as the Cowboys are scheduled to play the Crimson Tide in 2028.

The college football world was shaken up on Wednesday as multiple reports stated that legendary Alabama head coach Nick Saban was retiring from the program. Of course, this impacted every facet of college football, as head coaches will see movement across the sport. 

Saban's sudden announcement happens to impact Oklahoma State athletics. The Cowboys are set to host the Alabama Crimson Tide in a home-and-home series which is set to begin in 2028 and will conclude in 2029. 

The two programs have squared off one time in history, as they played in the 2006 Independence Bowl. While Mike Gundy picked up a big 34-31 win over a solid Alabama team, though Nick Saban wasn't yet coaching the program.

This adds to a good list of non-conference games the Cowboys have to look forward to, as they'll be able to play programs like Arkansas, Oregon and Nebraska over the next decade or so. 

For Saban, he completes a decorated career in fitting fashion. While he isn't going out on top, he essentially stopped Georgia from being able to three-peat before taking a tight loss to the eventual National Champions in Michigan. 

Saban began head coaching at Alabama in 2007 after stops at Toledo, Michigan State and LSU, where he won one National Championship. He finished his career at Alabama with a 206-29 record while having won six National Championships as the Crimson Tide's head coach. 

Over the past nearly two decades, Saban and Gundy have been two of the most consistent coaches. Of course, Saban has decorated his trophy shelf with National Championships while Gundy is still waiting to add a first win to his shelf. But from a program consistency aspect, the two have been able to sustain long-term success despite the ever-changing landscape of college football.

It's a bummer these two coaches won't be able to square off later in the decade after both have found such sustained success in their careers.

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