On Saturday morning, Nick Saban made his debut appearance on ESPN’s College GameDay, joining hosts Rece Davis, Kirk Herbstreit, Pat McAfee, and Desmond Howard live from Ireland. This broadcast occurred ahead of the game between Georgia Tech and Florida State.
During the show, when the conversation shifted to the SEC, Saban took the opportunity to commend the Georgia football program, acknowledging their impressive performance in recent seasons. He went on to challenge the rest of the SEC to step up their game against Georgia.
“Someone needs to prove they can beat Georgia,” Saban stated. “The only teams that have managed to defeat Georgia in the past two or three years are Alabama. So, it’s up to someone else to show they can do it.”
Saban’s observation highlights Georgia’s dominance, with the team boasting a 50-4 record over the past four seasons. Out of these losses, three were to Saban’s Alabama squads, and the fourth was a defeat in 2020 to Dan Mullen’s Florida team.
In addition, Saban, along with Pat McAfee, predicted that Georgia will win the national championship this year. The Bulldogs are entering the 2024 season as the No. 1 team in both the AP and Coaches Polls. They also lead the conference with 15 players named to the Preseason Coaches All-SEC Team.
However, Georgia faces a challenging schedule this season. They have tough road games against Texas, Alabama, and Ole Miss, which are ranked No. 4, 5, and 6 in the preseason AP Poll, respectively. The Bulldogs also have significant non-conference matchups, starting with a game against Clemson in Atlanta next week and concluding the season with a home game against Georgia Tech.
Saban also expressed admiration for Georgia Tech during the College GameDay broadcast. He identified the Yellow Jackets as a potential sleeper team, noting their strong offensive performance last year, despite their defensive struggles. With a new defensive coordinator and several new players from the transfer portal, Saban believes Georgia Tech could become a formidable opponent if their defense improves.
Saban included Georgia as his top team in the projected College Football Playoff, and all four College GameDay panelists agreed that Georgia would win the SEC and secure a first-round bye in the new 12-team College Football Playoff format.
Georgia’s season kicks off next Saturday at noon ET against Clemson.
