It’s almost bizarre to see Saban being so enthusiastic about any other team besides the Alabama Crimson Tide after coaching them for 17 years. But that’s what his newest job entails, and this time, he’s picked a clear favorite between the matchup of the Texas Longhorns and the Georgia Bulldogs.
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The Longhorns are currently undefeated and will take on the loud bark of the Bulldogs within their home ground of Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. The Georgia Bulldogs, on the other hand, are standing on a flawed 5-1 record, which puts them at the mercy of the Longhorns. Their game on October 20 will mark the 6th time in history when the two teams will meet, and quite evidently, Texas holds a clear-cut advantage over the Bulldogs.
On the latest episode of the ‘College GameDay’ show, Nick Saban joined the likes of Pat McAfee, Desmond Howard, and Lee Corso to talk about the upcoming game between Texas and Georgia. He gave his opinion on the Longhorns and said that they have a great shot at making it to the playoffs even if they lost to the Bulldogs.
“Texas sort of controls their own destiny here. They’re undefeated. Even if they lost this game, they would actually still have a chance to win the SEC, still get in the playoffs.”
Additionally, the Longhorns are in the 2nd position in the SEC division, strengthening the claims made by the former head coach. However, he stated that Georgia shouldn’t be considered down for the count just yet, as they could still win the national championship without winning the conference.
” I still think a 10 and 2 Georgia team gets in the playoffs and everybody should really remember, especially Dogs’ fans, that Alabama won the National Championship without winning the SEC and so did Georgia win the national championship without winning the SEC but Texas really controls their own destiny.”
Saban gave the example of his beloved Alabama who accomplished the feat in 1941, 1925, 1926, and even 1930. Interestingly, Georgia has also achieved such glory in the years of 1946, 1968, and 1980.
“You’ve done a heck of a job here building this program like an SEC team. Physical, upfront, really good defense, quarterback’s playing well. So you’re doing a great job here and I appreciate the fact that your team is number one.”
Moreover, Saban admired how Steve Sarkisian has built the Texas Longhorns from the ground up since he arrived in 2021. Coming from a coach who dominated almost a decade of college football, Saban also appreciated the fact that the Longhorns have been in the running this season.
Thus, Saban seems to have picked the Longhorns as his favorite over the historic rivals of Alabama, the Georgia Bulldogs. Regardless of who comes out the victor, Sarkisian’s team seems to have a great future this season and hopefully can win the SEC championship along with the national championship at some point.
