Paul Finebaum warns that ‘time is running out’ for Nick Saban to win another national championship at Alabama

Four programs – LSU, Ohio State, Alabama and Clemson – have won national championships in the College Football Playoff era. It’s those last two programs, the Crimson Tide and Tigers, who have truly defined the CFP era. For seasons 2015-18, all 4 national titles went to either Alabama or Clemson, with the Tide and Tigers clashing head-to-head in 3 of those championship games.

Alabama is experiencing something of an unfamiliar feeling heading into a new season after not playing in the previous season’s championship game.

“I don’t want this to sound blasphemous, but time is running out on a national championship,” Finebaum said on Wednesday’s “Get Up.”. “It’s been two years since (Saban) won a national championship. That’s a long time. He hasn’t gone that long at Alabama since the early part of his career there. I think this is his best team. The season is unknown at this point.”

[Note: When making his live on-air comment, Finebaum presumably forgot that Florida State won the 2013 BCS Championship and Ohio State won the first Playoff championship in 2014, meaning Saban’s program is in the same situation it was entering the 2015 season, which wouldn’t be considered “the early part of his career there.”]

While talk of “the end of the Alabama dynasty” has proven premature in recent years, Finebaum does think that age may start to catch up to Saban, who turns 69 in October, especially if he doesn’t get his seventh title this year.

“However, there are many other programs catching up a little bit,” Finebaum said. “You can no longer make a blanket statement that Nick Saban is going to win a bunch of national championships. I think he needs to win one this year or that hourglass is going to become very dangerous for him.”

SDS Staff

Saturday Down South reports and comments on the news around the Southeastern Conference as well as larger college football topics.