Georgia has not faced a Nick Saban-less Alabama since 2003, the year before Kirby Smart began working with Saban at LSU.
While Saban will not be coaching Saturday, he will still very much be part of the game.
In the lead-up to the top-five college football matchup, Smart has downplayed the connection between the two national champion coaches — Smart worked with Saban for 11 years at three different stops — especially because Saban will likely be at the game in his capacity with ESPN’s College GameDay.
“I feel like he’s still in it, so I don’t really see it as there being a shadow,” Smart told ESPN’s Chris Low. “He’s announcing. He’s still involved. He’s still trying to make things right in our game. … He ain’t going nowhere. This dude loves it, and he is going to be part of it for a long time. The game is better with him in it. I just have so much respect for him.
“He’s just not coaching anymore, and I don’t get any more chances to beat him.”
Alabama was 8-2 against Georgia under Saban. Five of those wins came against Smart, including the final Saban-coached SEC championship, which came via a 27-24 win over Georgia in December.
Saban retired in January and the Alabama team that Georgia faces will look different, with an entirely new coaching staff led by Kalen DeBoer. Smart even scooped up one of Saban’s former assistants in Travaris Robinson, now Georgia’s safeties coach and co-defensive coordinator.
Saturday will be a major opportunity for Smart to alter the narrative around his record against the Crimson Tide. Another loss and it goes from Smart having a Saban problem to Smart having an Alabama problem.
Saban now works as an analyst with ESPN’s College GameDay, which will be on hand to preview the game Saturday. Saban made headlines this offseason when he picked Georgia and Texas — not Alabama — to make the SEC championship. Saban later admitted that was to give his former team a little motivation.
It’s yet to be seen who Saban picks Saturday, with College GameDay set for a 9 a.m. broadcast start.
About the Author
