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Nick Saban explains why loss to Alabama might be the best thing to happen to Georgia
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Nick Saban does not know a whole lot about losing, but he does know a little bit about losing. That includes the legendary head coach understanding certain losses — at a certain time — can be a blessing in disguise.
Speaking on “The Pat McAfee Show” Friday afternoon, Saban admitted he texted Kirby Smart shortly after Alabama knocked off Georgia and took the Bulldogs down from their No. 1 spot. The theme of Saban’s message?
That loss could help the Bulldogs in the long run:
“I texted Kirby and told him after the Alabama game ‘This might be the best thing to ever happen to you.’ Because losing early sort of gives your team a wake-up call,” said Saban. “So all the things you’ve been preaching about — focus, attention to detail, discipline — now all those things seem to have more meaning because you had a consequence and were humiliated to some degree.”
In the moment, that message tends to fall on deaf ears for coaches and players in the thick of things. But Saban reminded everyone most of his national championships included a team with at least one loss at some point during the season.
“Now, when you lose a game and you’re a coach or a player, that doesn’t resonate very well because you’re kind of down in the dumps that you didn’t win,” described Saban. “But in the long run, sometimes it helps. I mean, we only had 2 teams that went undefeated the whole time I coached. We won national championships with 1 loss most of the time, and most of the time we lost, we needed to lose because we weren’t focused on the right stuff.”
“I texted Kirby after the Alabama game and said this might be the best thing that happens to you..
Losing early really gives your team a wake up call and everything that you’ve been saying has more meaning” ~ Nick Saban #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/x8xmWVEgCv
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) October 11, 2024
For what it’s worth, Saban’s message also now applies to Alabama. After the dramatic win over Georgia, the Crimson Tide followed things up with a devastating loss to Vanderbilt.
To Saban’s point, both Georgia and Alabama are very much alive in the latest 2025 national championship odds. Ohio State leads the latest odds produced by bet365 at +350 while Alabama (+400) is 2nd and Texas and Georgia (+500) are tied for 3rd. As always, fans can use SDS’s sports betting apps to get in on the latest odds.
Paul Harvey lives in Atlanta and covers SEC football.
