Mr. CFB: After Disappointing Finish to 2021 Season, Alabama's Saban Rested And Ready To Pursue Eighth National Title

Alabama won the SEC championship, but then fell to Georgia in the national championship game

ATLANTA—By his own admission, Nick Saban likes being in charge.

I know. That comes as a shock to all of us.

So, after a vacation  at Lake Burton filled with chores assigned his wife, Miss Terry, Saban was back in his element on Tuesday at SEC Media Days in Atlanta.

“Lots of people love vacation. I’m the leader of an organization but I’m not the leader when I’m on vacation,” said Saban, making his 21st appearance at SEC Media Days (five at LSU, 16 at Alabama). “After a certain period of time it’s refreshing to go back to work so that can be the leader of an organization.”

Saban and Alabama begin the 2022 season in interesting territory. The 2021 season was good. Quite good, in fact.  Alabama won the SEC championship, beating Georgia in the title game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, not far from the College Football Hall of Fame podium where he spoke on Tuesday.

But for the Alabama people, it wasn't good enough. Alabama was the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoffs and beat Cincinnati 27-6 in the semifinals at the Cotton Bowl.

Then Saban’s team lost 33-18 in a rematch with Georgia in the CFP championship game in Indianapolis. It was Georgia’s first national championship in 41 years.

So Alabama finished 13-2, Saban’s seventh season of 13 wins or more. After winning 13 games, an SEC championship and reaching the CFP national championship game., most football programs would hold a parade.

Not Alabama.

With the 2021 Heisman Trophy winner at quarterback (Bryce Young), the edge rusher who might be the first defensive pick in the 2023 NFL Draft (Will Anderson) and a host of other good players returning, Alabama looks like and sounds like a football team that is hungry for a big old serving of redemption in 2022.

Young, who is trying to become only the second player in history to repeat as the Heisman Trophy winner (Archie Griffin of Ohio State was the first in 1974-75), did not sugarcoat how he felt about losing to Georgia with everything on the line last January.

“We didn’t get it done last year,” Young told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “That’s really the approach that I’m taking. I definitely have a lot of motivation, a lot of fuel to do that. It’s definitely fuel to the fire.”

This will be the third time Saban and Alabama have entered a season off a loss in the national championship game.

The Crimson Tide lost 35-31 to Clemson in the 2016 championship game. The Tide came back the following season to beat Georgia in the national championship game in Atlanta.

Alabama was dominated by Clemson 44-16 in the 2018 championship game in Santa Clara, Calif. The following season LSU and  quarterback Joe Burrow won the SEC title and then beat Clemson for the national title. Alabama, which lost to LSU (46-41) and Auburn (48-45) went to the CitrusBow to play Michigan.

Despite the way that last season ended Alabama is expected to be No. 1 in almost all of the preseason polls. That is mostly because the Crimson Tide has a quarterback (Young) who is arguably the best offensive player in college football and a defensive end (Anderson) who will get serious consideration for the Heisman Trophy.

Saban has had a lot of great players in his 16 years Alabama, but he conceded Tuesday that Young and Anderson may be the most dominant players he’s put on the field on either side of the ball at the same time.

“We’ve had some great impact players but never one on offense, one on defense of the caliber these guys have been to play on a consistent basis,” Saban said. “But I think bigger than that is the impact they have had on the players around them. Really excited to have these guys on our team. You couldn’t ask for two better people.”

Saban used his time before the media to once again call for a set of standards to serve as guidelines for the Name, Image, and Likeness legislation.

“First of all, I’m all for guys making money,” said Saban. “Our guys made over $3 million last year in NIL money so they did pretty well.”

On Monday SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey called for “enforceable guidelines” to manage NIL. Saban agreed.

“There is no competitive sport anywhere that doesn’t have guidelines on how they maintain some kind of competitive balance,” said Saban. “I think it’s important to college football. I think it’s important to the fans. That’s why they have rules in the NFL where to have a salary cap. That’s why you have all these things.”

And here’s one more benchmark to consider when measuring what Saban has accomplished in his 16-year stay at Alabama.

When he arrived at Alabama in 2007 the Crimson Tide had never—ever—had a player to win the Heisman Trophy. By Saban’s third year Mark Ingram brought home the hardware on the way to Alabama’s first national championship since 1992.

If Young wins again Alabama will have five Heisman Trophies since 2009.

Mark Ingram-2009.

Derrick Henry--2015

DeVonta Smith-2020.

Bryce Young-2021.

“I think that the more success our program has had the more attention our players get,” said Saban. “We’re always grateful that our players get recognized in a positive way because those things bring value in their future. That is obviously the goal.”

Saban, who turns 71 on Oct. 31, looked and sounded like a man who is excited about his 28th season as college football head coach.

His 2021 team was good, but not good enough. That’s a dangerous time to play Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide.