College Football

Is Nick Saban scared of Alabama's reign ending?

Updated Dec. 13, 2022 3:21 p.m. ET

The times in college football, they are a-changin’.

Big programs are leaving for even bigger conferences, while the transfer portal and the institution of name, image and likeness have changed the calculus for players selecting schools.

Does it all pose a threat to the sport's biggest dynasty?

Nick Saban has led Alabama to six national titles in the past 13 seasons, plus three more appearances in the championship game. The run is unprecedented, and there’s been no indication on the field that it will end anytime soon.

Except Saban has again voiced his displeasure with college football’s evolving landscape.

"My biggest concern is competitive balance," he said Tuesday on the "Always College Football" podcast. "We don't have any guardrails on what we're doing right now. We have no restrictions on who can do what. Some people are going to be capable of doing certain things. Other people are not going to be capable. The bottom line is we'll lose competitive balance which, everything we've done in college football is to maintain competitive balance ... same scholarship, everybody has to play by the same rules whether it was recruiting or whatever. Right now, that's not how it is."

Is college football losing a 'competitive balance'

Name, Image and Likeness deals, conference alignments, media rights. What do they have in common? They change and influence the playing field in college sports, especially with football. Alabama coach Nick Saban doesn't like it.

Colin Cowherd has some thoughts on Saban’s concerns.

"Are we going to have competitive balance Sept. 3 when they host Utah State?" he asked. "Or Sept. 17 when Alabama hosts Louisiana-Monroe? Are we going to have competitive balance when they host Austin Peay [on Nov. 19]? Nick scheduled all of those games, all at home."

Filling out its non-conference slate with overmatched FCS and Group of 5 opponents has become an annual tradition at Bama under Saban, and it’s provided ideal opportunities to develop younger players and give core players a break before ramping up for bigger games.

Despite playing in college football’s toughest conference, the Crimson Tide have gone undefeated or lost just one game eight times since 2009. They’ve lost a maximum of three games once.

"What Nick’s really bothered by is that with the new name, image and likeness, teams now can buy players," Cowherd said. "And Alabama, the state, does not have the economy to compete with Texas A&M and Texas, because of the big oil money. If you follow recruiting, Bama is doing a great job. But a lot of those five-star guys, they’re choosing Texas schools because they’re getting paid. That’s what he’s worried about. Nick Saban’s never been worried about competitive balance."

Cowherd added that an initiative to promote competitive balance — one he suspects Saban would fight "tooth and nail" — would be to force conference winners to play other conference winners for their non-conference games. In many years, that would have meant Alabama playing a combination of home and road games against Ohio State, Clemson, Oklahoma and Oregon in the regular season. The Crimson Tide haven’t played a non-conference Power 5 opponent in their stadium since Penn State in 2011.

As for a lack of competitive balance threatening the integrity of the sport, Cowherd contests the former has never been a priority, nor has it ever existed. If anything, conference realignment, the portal and NIL might shake up the power of college football and create more competitive balance between the Power 5 programs.

That, perhaps, is Saban’s real concern.

"Competitive balance has never been what college football is about," Cowherd said. "It’s never had it and we keep watching. It’s about the college campus, it’s about big games, it’s about rivalries, the bands, it’s about the feeling. It’s not the best football, the NFL is. It’s about how it makes you feel.

"I don’t think competitive balance is going to get worse because it can’t get worse. Miami, Texas, they got the right boosters, they’re buying five-star guys. I’m totally OK with it. That would be competitive balance, and Nick’s afraid of it."