'There's Three Teams That are a Cut Above Right Now,' Nick Saban Talks CFP Contenders

Former Alabama head coach Nick Saban joined ESPN's "The Pat McAfee Show" on Friday, November 14 to discuss several topics from this college football season thus far.

Saban, now two seasons removed from leading the Crimson Tide, was asked to list which teams he believes have separated themselves from the pack so far, and while his list is unlikely to confuse anyone who has watched college football this season, the former coach made one interesting omission, at least to those in Tuscaloosa.

"There's three teams that have proven they are are a cut above right now, Texas A&M, Ohio State and Indiana," Saban said, leaving out fourth ranked Alabama.

He continued, "The other teams are good enough to beat them, but they all have a little flaw or something that they have to overcome."

"There's three teams that are a cut above right now..

Those three teams are Ohio State, Texas A&M, and Indiana..

The other teams are good enough to beat them but those other teams have flaws" ~ Coach Saban#PMSLive pic.twitter.com/Yd87bvXUDe
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) November 14, 2025

As of the most recent College Football Playoff ranking, Ohio State, Indiana and Texas A&M occupy the top three spots as they have all put together undefeated seasons up to this point.

Though the Crimson Tide has certainly rattled off one of the most impressive stretches of any team in the nation, taking down six straight SEC opponents, four of which were ranked themselves, Alabama's week one falter at Florida State continues to hold them back from being recognized among the nation's best.

"They All Have a Little Flaw or Something They Have to Overcome."
Saban, on "The Pat McAfee Show"

Though Saban did give the Tide, as well as a few other teams outside of his top three, credit in saying they are capable of taking down any of his contenders, he mentioned the flaws that would need to be overcome in order to reach that level.

While you could maybe point to a few areas with this year's Crimson Tide team to find flaws, there has been nothing more evident than Alabama's inability to consistently run the ball and find yardage on the ground.

Through nine games, Alabama is averaging just over 110 rushing yards per game, a far cry from the likes of the aforementioned contenders, who are all above 150 yards per contest. More specifically, in just the Tide's last three games, the three leading running backs, Jam Miller, Kevin Riley and Daniel Hill, have combined for just 2.5 yards per carry as a trio.

Kalen DeBoer is no stranger to a pass heavy offense, but Alabama's complete lack of a threat on the ground could certainly cause headaches against teams like Ohio State, Indiana or Texas A&M.

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