Nick Saban would rather see Oregon face Notre Dame than James Madison in the opening round of the College Football Playoff. And he thinks you would, too.
During an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show on Thursday, the former Alabama head coach said Group of 5 schools like James Madison and Tulane should have a separate playoff system because their inclusion in the CFP at the expense of power conference schools is “not fair.”
“These guys ought to have their own Playoff,” Saban said. “It’s all about money. Just give them the money. … Just give them $4 million and put Notre Dame in. You want to see Notre Dame and Oregon play?
“Hell yeah. Hell yeah.”
Oregon is a 20.5-point favorite over James Madison, per the latest odds from BetMGM. Bill Connelly’s SP+ model predicts a 15-point Oregon victory.
While the Alabama-Oklahoma and Miami-Texas A&M games are expected to produce thrilling results, both first-round matchups involving G5 teams have point spreads of more than 17 points.
“Would we allow the winner of the AAA baseball league, the international league… would you let them in the World Series? They don’t. That’s the equivalent of what we do when JMU gets into the College Football Playoff and Notre Dame doesn’t,” Nick Saban said. “I mean, I don’t want to start any shit here.”
But Saban’s comments are likely to stir a conversation that has been had since the Playoff field was announced. McAfee pointed out that last year’s inclusion of Boise State was largely hailed as productive for the overall sport. This year, with 2 G5 schools, though, has produced a different response.
Asked if blowouts for James Madison and Tulane might lead to a second straight offseason in which the Playoff format was altered, Saban said he hoped so.
“I hope we learn each year from this how we can make it better,” he said.
James Madison ended the regular season ranked 24th in the CFP Top 25. Tulane ranked 20th. Notre Dame was ranked 11th but was the first team excluded. BYU, Texas, and Vanderbilt were all left out as well.
“To me, if you’re not in the top 15, I don’t care what league you play in, you shouldn’t be in the playoffs,” Saban said. “JMU, whoever it is, if you’re not in the top 15, Power (4), Group of 5, it doesn’t matter. Because you’re taking somebody out of the playoffs that deserved to be in the Playoff.
“So, you can think about it one way — where we’re letting somebody from the Group of 5 in — but you’re also taking somebody that should be in out, and that’s not fair.”
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
