‘Don’t Listen to What Anybody on ESPN Says’ — Nick Saban Takes Brutal Swipe at CFP Rankings As Season Enters Final Stretch

The latest CFP ranking, released by the committee on Tuesday, has sparked even more debate than last week’s inaugural list. With just a few weeks until the final 12-team field is revealed on Selection Sunday, the CFP rankings have divided fans and analysts, who have argued about the positions of certain teams on the list.

Former Alabama Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban, who knew a thing or two about getting into the final college football playoff field, seemingly took a swipe at the rankings.

Nick Saban Dismisses CFP Rankings Relevance

During an appearance on ESPN’s “College GameDay” for the Boise State-Oregon State matchup on Saturday, Saban summarized the reality of the current CFP rankings and what they meant to the top teams.

“The bottom line is, I like all the BS you guys got about all this, but none of this really matters,” Saban said. “This was about the time of the year; we’re starting the fourth quarter of the season, right?”

He added, “This was about the time of the year that I would give my speech that ‘Don’t listen to what anyone on ESPN says about what we’re gonna do ’cause it’s all about how you finish the season.'”

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“All these teams have the opportunity. They are gonna play the kind of games, big games…that they’re gonna have the opportunity, if they can play with consistency and sustain a level of intensity to play their best football this time of the year. In the fourth quarter of the season, they will have a chance to get in the playoffs. But where they’re ranked right now doesn’t really matter,” former Alabama coach said.

There were several points of debate after the latest rankings were released, as the Georgia Bulldogs claimed the No. 1 spot after demolishing the Ole Miss Rebels, and the Miami Hurricanes fell to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, dropping six spots to No. 7.

The Fighting Irish, who were on the bubble, rose to No. 5 to seemingly erase any fears bout missing the 12-team field once again.

Saban’s former team, the Alabama Crimson Tide, were once again a huge flashpoint after sneaking into No. 3 following their blowout win over the LSU Tigers in Death Valley. The Crimson Tide are the highest-ranked two-loss team, ahead of the undefeated UCLA Bruins and the one-loss Fighting Irish.

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The Crimson Tide, who now have a 99.4% chance of making the field according to PFN’s College Football Playoff Meter, have drawn criticism for their lofty ranking despite losing 26-10 to the No. 8 Tennessee Volunteers.

Indiana coach Curt Cignetti slammed the rankings on X after the Hoosiers fell five spots to No. 9 despite having a bye week, writing, “Bad losses don’t count anymore? Are first downs still 10 yards?”

Week 10 was termed ‘Separation Saturday’ in college football, and with the regular season drawing to a close, several top teams have seemingly secured their places in the field, while a few outliers battle to get in.

This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.