Nick Saban hints at how he'll pick Alabama football games for 'College GameDay' in 2024
Nick Saban may no longer be coach of the Alabama football program, but that doesn't mean he won't still be backing the Crimson Tide in the 2024 college football season.
The retired coaching legend attended the Nick Saban Legacy Award ceremony at the Red Mountain Theatre Arts Campus in Birmingham on Monday, where the future "College GameDay" analyst was asked how he'll pick against his former team as part of the program's popular ending segment.
While he declined to outright answer that question, he more than hinted at his loyalty to the program he coached for 17 seasons.
REQUIRED READING: How involved will retired Nick Saban be with Alabama football?
I asked Nick Saban with his new job with ESPN's College GameDay... will he pick Alabama in Tuscaloosa: pic.twitter.com/NDnkryZzNv
— Ryan Hennessy (@RyanWVTM13) February 20, 2024
“I’ve tried to steer away from picking people. I think I’m going to have to do that now. But I don’t know that you always have to pick the team that you think is going to win," Saban said, smiling. "You’re allowed to have a spiritual feeling about who do you like and who you want to win.
"So, I think it will be a lot of fun though.”
REQUIRED READING: What Nick Saban told Nate Oats, Alabama basketball before Crimson Tide's game vs. Texas A&M
The Crimson Tide has several games in 2024 that could prove to be too enticing for ESPN's popular college football program to pass up. Among them is a Week 3 trip to Big Ten opponent Wisconsin; a Week 5 home visit from likely SEC preseason favorite Georgia; a Week 8 visit to Tennessee; a Week 13 trip to Oklahoma; and, of course, the regular season-ending Iron Bowl in Tuscaloosa.
Of those, the Tuscaloosa visit from the defending Orange Bowl champion Bulldogs is a virtual certainty for "College GameDay" to make an appearance. It's possible both Alabama and Georgia enter the game with undefeated records, and Kirby Smart will have no shortage of motivational tactics to employ after Saban bested his pupil one final time in the 2023 SEC championship game (costing the Bulldogs a chance at only the second three-peat in modern college football history).
That game and more, perhaps, will allow Saban to continue supporting the Tide.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Nick Saban hints at how he'll pick Alabama football on 'College GameDay'
