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Nick Saban said on The Pivot Podcast that if he had to choose today, he'd prefer to coach in the NFL over college football because of the sport's changing landscape.

"It was—I love coaching pro ball," Saban said. "I mean, and if I was going to coach today based on circumstances in college and in the NFL, I would coach in the NFL because all those things in college have changed.

"The whole idea of what college used to be is not there anymore. I mean, it used to be you went to college to develop value for your future. Now, people are going to college to see how much money they can make.

"And I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that, but you change the whole dynamic of the importance of getting an education, making good decisions and choices about what you do and what you don't do to create value for your future. You change that whole dynamic and the idea that these guys are free agents twice a year and they can just go wherever they want."

College sports have changed quite a bit since NCAA implemented name, image and likeness policies (NIL) in June 2021. The transfer portal has become an oft-used tool after student-athletes no longer had to sit a year after switching schools beginning in 2021. At first, it was just one-time transfers, but now multi-time transfer no longer have to wait either.

The feelings Saban expressed on the podcast have bubbled to the surface recently, with ESPN's Chris Low providing some insight in March 2024.

According to Low, Saban spoke with Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne after the 2022 season about the possibility of leaving.

"Greg, this is getting more and more difficult on me," Saban told Byrne, per Low. "I'm not ready to do it now, but we're going to have to start evaluating this more on a year-to-year basis."

One year later, Saban was gone, telling Low:

"I thought we could have a hell of a team next year, and then maybe 70 or 80 percent of the players you talk to, all they want to know is two things: What assurances do I have that I'm going to play because they're thinking about transferring, and how much are you going to pay me?

"Our program here was always built on how much value can we create for your future and your personal development, academic success in graduating and developing an NFL career on the field.

"So I'm saying to myself, 'Maybe this doesn't work anymore, that the goals and aspirations are just different and that it's all about how much money can I make as a college player?' I'm not saying that's bad. I'm not saying it's wrong, I'm just saying that's never been what we were all about, and it's not why we had success through the years."

The 73-year-old Saban has enjoyed a lengthy and phenomenal five-decade coaching career that includes a 292-71-1 collegiate record at Toledo, Michigan State, LSU and Alabama. He won seven national titles—one with LSU and six at Alabama.

It appeared that Saban could have had something left in the tank in the pre-NIL era, but the changing landscape was perhaps the final straw.

In another life, Saban is perhaps a longtime NFL coach then. He does have some experience in the pros, first with the Cleveland Browns as their defensive coordinator from 1991-1994 under Bill Belichick and then later as the Miami Dolphins' head coach from 2005-2006.

He'll forever be a legend for his time in college, though, particularly in Alabama, which went 201-29 under his watch.

Following Ohio State's national championship win over Notre Dame on Monday night, one legendary head coach said he believes the team wouldn't have managed to reach this point without facing some adversity.

During an appearance on The Pivot Podcast, former Alabama head coach Nick Saban said he feels that the Buckeyes' 13-10 loss to Michigan in the final week of the regular season helped give them the fuel they needed for their run through the College Football Playoff.

"We won 19 games in a row twice at Alabama. And both times we lost to a team that wasn't as good as us. And it was because we could not deal with success. Starts to affect your preparation, your habits in practice. And those things start showing up in the game. And then you get exposed, and you get beat. So, I sometimes say, 'You need to lose,'" Saban explained.

"Like, I think the best thing that ever happened to Ohio State is getting beat by Michigan. Because they got criticized so much for that, and everybody was humiliated. And they stepped up their game since then and they played really, really good. But if they won that game, would they have that same sort of edge to them?"

Michigan was unranked when it upset Ohio State, which was ranked No. 2 in the nation at the time. The loss dropped the Buckeyes to the No. 8 spot in the CFP.

Still, Ohio State ran through its competition, topping the 40-point mark in wins over No. 9 Tennessee and No. 1 Oregon before earning double-digit victories over No. 5 Texas and No. 8 Notre Dame.

The loss to the Wolverines undoubtedly didn't sit well with the Buckeyes, but they probably wouldn't mind doing it again if it results in another national championship.

Nick Saban "never thought" of himself as the greatest coach in college football history as he added national championship after national championship to his resume.

Channing Crowder, co-host for the Pivot Podcast, asked Saban in an episode released Tuesday when he realized he was the GOAT of college coaches or at least one of the greats.

"You know, I never thought of it that way," Saban responded. "When I was coaching, it was almost like when you're a player. The next season (is) coming and you know you gotta go perform and be the best that you can be so you can keep your job. Well, I never worried about keeping my job, but I did have this sort of pride and performance that every year was like taking a new job."

Now that he's retired, the 73-year-old added he still doesn't look at himself as a GOAT in the coaching profession, passing some of the credit for his success to his coaching staffs.

A refusal to rest on his laurels helps to explain why Saban won seven national titles and had 297 wins along with an .806 winning percentage during his stops at Alabama, LSU, Michigan State and Toledo.

Especially in college sports, there's little time to sit and reflect on your achievements. Once the season ends, a lot of your best players leave and you have to find replacements who will be just as good, if not better.

And it doesn't take long for the aura around a legendary head coach to puncture.

Florida State went 12-0 and was a national champion in 1999. The Seminoles went on to have two 10-win seasons in Bobby Bowden's last 10 years at the helm. Penn State had a Top-10 finish in the AP poll three times in Joe Paterno's final 12 seasons.

Even Saban seemingly wasn't immune from this. When he left, Alabama was no longer the unstoppable machine it had been earlier in his tenure.

The Crimson Tide's 9-4 record in 2024 points to how the Hall of Famer got out while the getting was good.

Cooper Flagg was considered an elite young talent before he played a minute for Duke, and the freshman's performance this season has only added to his almost mythic status already.

The Athletic's Sam Vecenie reported Tuesday that "the intel on Flagg is among the best I've ever gotten on a prospect."

"Flagg is the exact player teams look for at the top of the draft," Vecenie said. "He might not necessarily be on Victor Wembanyama's level as a can't-miss player, but he's clearly the kind of Tier One prospect every team would love to acquire. His presence is why we've already started to see a race for the bottom in the NBA much earlier than normal, with the Brooklyn Nets trading away some of their best players before the calendar turned to 2025 and the Washington Wizards having no fear running out teenagers in their starting lineup all season. Beyond [Rutgers guard Dylan] Harper, I have some questions about how happy a majority of these teams will be to come away with consolation prizes in the class."

Flagg is averaging 19.2 points on 48.8 percent shooting along with 8.1 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.2 blocks. In an 86-78 win over Notre Dame on Jan. 11, he dropped 42 points to set an ACC freshman record.

In October, ESPN's Jonathan Givony spoke to an NBA executive who said they were "going into this year with an open mind about who the No. 1 pick might be."

That was an understandable position at the time because there are plenty of examples of highly touted high school recruits failing to meet their lofty expectations in college for one reason or another. However, Flagg has exceeded the hype so far in Durham.

Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman had him atop his newest mock draft and wrote the 6'9" forward continues to "separate at No. 1 on draft boards."

The Washington Wizards, Toronto Raptors and Utah Jazz all have an equal chance (14 percent) of getting the No. 1 pick for now, and all three are enduring brutal seasons. They've combined to win 26 games.

For whoever wins the draft lottery, all of the losses will be viewed in retrospect as a necessary sacrifice in order to land a player who could be a franchise cornerstone for a decade or more.

After winning a national championship with Ohio State on Monday night, backup quarterback Devin Brown made a quick decision to move on from the team.

Chirs Hummer of 247Sports reported on Tuesday that Brown committed to transfer to Cal following his three seasons with the Buckeyes. Brown was ranked as a 4-star prospect and the No. 6 quarterback in the nation in the class of 2022 by 247Sports' composite.

Hummer noted that Brown entered the transfer portal on Dec. 8 but chose to remain with Ohio State for its run through the College Football Playoff, which ended with a 34-23 win over Notre Dame in Monday night's national title game. According to Hummer, Brown is "expected to enroll at Cal on Tuesday, and the Bears view him as a big part of their 2025 offensive plans."

Brown played sparingly during his time with the Buckeyes and has career numbers of 331 passing yards, three touchdowns and an interception along with 37 rushing yards and another score. He spent the 2023 season backing up Kyle McCord, and he did the same for Will Howard this year.

Brown is the latest high-profile quarterback to join Cal through the transfer portal, joining Oregon transfer Jaron Keawe Sagapolutele, a 4-star recruit in the class of 2025 who spent just one month with the Ducks before choosing to find a new home.

The Bears will be replacing former quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who transferred to Indiana after producing 3,004 yards, 16 touchdowns and six interceptions this past season.

Hummer stated that Brown and Sagapolutele are expected to compete for the starting quarterback job for Cal under new offensive coordinator Bryan Harsin, but Brown's experience will give him an edge.

Ohio State overcame adversity in the form of losses to Oregon and then arch-rival Michigan to roll through the College Football Playoff and emerge as national champions on Monday with a 34-23 win over Notre Dame.

It appears that the Buckeyes heard some criticisms along the way, specifically about the team's $20 million NIL roster, per Cameron Teague Robinson of The Athletic:

"The players had to learn how to block out the criticism and just play football. They heard the noise but had to ignore the comments about the $20 million roster that were thrown out after each loss."

Per On3's rankings of NIL valuations, Ohio State freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith leads the way at $4 million. He was well worth it with 76 catches for 1,315 yards and 15 touchdowns, including five scores during the Buckeyes' four-game CFP run.

Safety Caleb Downs ($2.3 million) also fared well this year with 48 tackles and a pair of interceptions, including one against Texas in the CFP semifinals. He helped Ohio State finish with the league's top scoring defense.

Quarterback Will Howard may have turned out to be Ohio State's most valuable NIL add, though, at a reported $1.2 million. The Kansas State transfer finished with 35 passing touchdowns and 4,010 passing yards. He was phenomenal in the national championship with 231 yards and two touchdowns on 17-of-21 passing in addition to 57 rushing yards.

Overall, it was money well spent for Ohio State, which earned its first national championship since 2014 and ninth overall.

For the first time since 2016, Colorado ended the season ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 poll.

The Buffaloes dropped five spots to No. 25 in the final poll, which was released Tuesday after the full results from the postseason bowls. Colorado lost 36-14 to BYU in the Alamo Bowl to finish 9-4 on the year.

While head coach Deion Sanders is losing starting quarterback Shedeur Sanders and Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter, he can point to the progress Colorado made in 2024 as a reason to be excited for what's ahead. Colorado also has six 4-star commits in its 2025 recruiting class and plenty of reinforcements arriving through the transfer portal.

But the big question is whether Sanders will be around to continue his project.

The Hall of Fame cornerback said in November that he had "a kickstand down" in Boulder, Colorado, to illustrate his commitment to the program.

However, the Las Vegas Review-Journal's Vincent Bonsignore reported on Jan. 11 that "NFL-connected associates of Sanders" indicated to the Las Vegas Raiders his interest in that vacancy. Two days later, ESPN's Todd Archer reported Sanders had spoken with Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network on Sunday threw some cold water on the idea of Sanders returning to Dallas, where he played for five seasons. Rapoport reported had yet to schedule an interview with Coach Prime and that he'd be "very surprised" if a formal meeting came together.

From @NFLGameDay: The #Commanders appear to have lost G Sam Cosmi for the playoffs; The #Lions coordinators could have jobs soon; Where the #Cowboys stand in their HC search. pic.twitter.com/cegTGmDEeg

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 19, 2025

This could all be a leverage play for Sanders, whose five-year, $29.5 million contract with Colorado looks like a bargain in the present market. Courting outside interest is a time-tested way for a college football coach to get a raise, and even the legendary Nick Saban wasn't above utilizing the tactic.

Announcing an extension with Sanders would put all of the NFL speculation to bed for now. The Buffs could, however, find themselves in the exact same position next winter if they remain competitive in the Big 12 and a Top 25 team in 2025.

The final Associated Press college football poll for the 2024-25 season has been released after Ohio State's 34-23 victory over Notre Dame in the national championship.

Unsurprisingly, the Buckeyes and Fighting Irish are first and second, followed by Oregon, Texas and Penn State to round out the top five.

Here's a look at the entire poll, beginning with the national champions and ending with Deion Sanders' Colorado Buffaloes.

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Final 2024-25 Season Associated Press Poll

1. Ohio State

2. Notre Dame

3. Oregon

4. Texas

5. Penn State

6. Georgia

7. Arizona State

8. Boise State

9. Tennessee

10. Indiana

11. Ole Miss

12. SMU

13. BYU

14. Clemson

15. Iowa State

16. Illinois

17. Alabama

18. Miami (Florida)

19. South Carolina

20. Syracuse

21. Army

22. Missouri

23. UNLV

24. Memphis

25. Colorado

Ohio State finished the year with wins over No. 2 Notre Dame, No. 3 Oregon (41-21 in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals to avenge a 32-31 regular-season loss), No. 4 Texas (28-14 in the CFP semifinals), No. 5 Penn State (20-13 in the regular season), No. 9 Tennessee (42-17 in the CFP first round) and No. 10 Indiana (38-15 in the regular season).

The Buckeyes outscored their opponents 571-206, including 145-75 in the CFP.

This marks Notre Dame's highest finish in the AP poll since 1993 when the Fighting Irish finished second. It was a phenomenal season for Notre Dame, which bounced back strong from a 16-14 home loss to Northern Illinois on Sept. 7 by rattling off 13 straight wins.

Oregon took the No. 3 spot and rightfully so given that its lone loss was to eventual champion Ohio State in the CFP. The Ducks rolled into the CFP as the No. 1 seed and Big Ten champs after earning a 13-0 record. They had no answers in the Rose Bowl, though, falling behind 34-0 before losing by 20 to the Buckeyes. Still, the future remains bright in Eugene.

Texas was on the doorstep of tying its semifinal game with Ohio State thanks to a 1st-and-goal on the one-yard line with a few minutes remaining, but Buckeyes linebacker Jack Sawyer became a legend in Columbus with his 83-yard fumble return for a touchdown to seal the win.

The Longhorns' first SEC season was a major success, though, with the team finishing 13-3 overall and reaching the conference title game before losing to Georgia. Texas finished first in the SEC standings with a 7-1 record.

Rounding out the top five is Penn State, a team that continues to be on the doorstep of the national title conversation perennially. This year's team fought hard en route to a 13-3 campaign, including an 8-1 mark in Big Ten play during the regular season.

Its only losses were one-score defeats versus Ohio State, Oregon (45-37 in the Big Ten Championship) and Notre Dame (27-24 in the CFP semifinal). This year marks its highest AP poll finish since 2005.

Even though the vibes are incredibly strong for Ohio State fans toward Ryan Day following Monday's 34-23 win over Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff Championship Game, there were dark times for the head coach not that long ago.

R.J. Day, Ryan's son, told The Athletic's Bruce Feldman about the impact that threats from Buckeyes fans toward their family after the Nov. 30 loss to Michigan had.

"We had security at our house. School was really bad," R.J. said. "I didn't really leave the house much 'til after the Tennessee game (three weeks after the Michigan game, in the CFP first round). It was rough, but you've gotta hang on in those rough times because eventually things will turn back around again."

R.J. also said "it was not easy" everything they had to go through in the aftermath of the Michigan game:

"It was some of the hardest stuff I've ever had to deal with in my life; dealing with really grown men coming after me for something I didn't have a part of but just to see the joys and the tears in my sisters' face and my mom's and see the joy in my dad's face. It's a testament to how you just have to hang on when things are bad, and I'm just so happy for my dad and my family. I know how hard he works. I see the nights when he comes home at 1 a.m. and then goes back to work at 5 a.m. I see how much he puts into these kids, and to see the results and see him hoist that trophy with the smile on his face is something I'll never forget."

Stan Spirou, Day's father-in-law, told Feldman the threats "had a tremendous impact" on the immediate family, but that Ryan "never put any of it on the players or the coaching staff, and he just went to work."

Ohio State was on track to play Oregon in the Big Ten Championship Game before the 13-10 loss to Michigan. Day has a 70-10 record as head coach, but he has lost four to the Wolverines in four consecutive years.

There were calls among analysts and fans for Day to be fired that got so prominent he was asked about it during a Dec. 4 press conference.

"I don't think I need to have a sales pitch. I feel their frustration. There's no way to defend losing four years in a row," Day said. "Sometimes, when you're really close and feel frustrated, you got to push through. And that's what we're gonna do."

Ohio State hasn't had a losing streak of at least four games against Michigan since a six-year winless streak in the rivalry from 1988 to '93 (0-5-1).

Thanks to the expanded 12-team playoff field this year, the Buckeyes made it in as the No. 8 seed. They made it through the playoff with relative ease, winning four games by a combined total of 70 points.

Monday's victory over Notre Dame gave Ohio State its first national title since the 2014 season.

The Ohio State football team will be making one more trip to the Horseshoe to cap off the 2024 season.

The Buckeyes announced they're staging a celebration Sunday at noon at Ohio Stadium to commemorate their 34-23 victory over Notre Dame, which secured their ninth national championship.

Fortunately for Central Ohio residents, the frigid temperatures in the area will warm up slightly by the weekend. The forecast calls for a wind chill between 27 and 31 degrees, which is better than the sub-zero conditions around Columbus at the moment.

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP CELEBRATION
As of Tuesday morning, we have heard that THE @OhioStAthletics plan on a celebration Sunday at Noon at Ohio Stadium.
Here is the forecast for that currently. #GoBucks #OhioState #ohiostatebuckeyes #OhioStateFootball #Celebration pic.twitter.com/odXklgGhp7

— Andrew Buck Michael (@AndrewWSYX6) January 21, 2025

The mood among Ohio State fans marks a stark contrast from where things were fewer than two months ago.

In the aftermath of the 13-10 defeat to Michigan, head coach Ryan Day looked like a dead man walking. The malaise within the fanbase was strong enough to where people wondered whether the first-round playoff matchup with Tennessee would effectively be a neutral-site game.

Now, everybody in Columbus is basking in the Buckeyes' run and Day's popularity is at an all-time high.

IT'S A GOOD DAY TO BE RYAN DAY 👏 pic.twitter.com/GtOWu1OEsa

— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) January 21, 2025

The version of Ohio State that showed up in the playoff was the team everyone always knew it could be.

OSU dismantled Tennessee and then Oregon in the Rose Bowl before pulling away from Texas in the Cotton Bowl. It was the same story in the title game. Notre Dame scored on the opening drive but then allowed 31 unanswered points. The Fighting Irish made it a one-score game in the fourth quarter, but they were by far second-best on the night.

Thanks to the transfer portal, it's much tougher to project out what a roster may look like for the next season.

Ohio State is losing some key seniors, most notably quarterback Will Howard, wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, defensive end Jack Sawyer and defensive end JT Tuimoloau. But the Buckeyes will probably be aggressive in hitting the portal once again after spending a king's ransom to assemble their championship-winning squad.

There's no reason why OSU can't return to the Horseshoe next January for another title coronation.