Nick Saban Milestone May Come at Expense of Hogs, Sam Pittman

Razorbacks hope to avoid becoming a career milestone for legendary Crimson Tide coach

Author:
Daniel Shi
Publish date:
Oct 13, 2023 10:57 AM EDT

In this story:

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The future of both head coaches at their respective programs is very much in the air for different reasons ahead of Saturday's game, but lost in the shuffle is the most recent Saban milestone is upon us. In just his 17th season at Alabama, barring disaster, this week will be Saban's 200th win as head coach of the Crimson Tide.

Saban will never approach Joe Paterno' for the most wins at one program. All 409 of Paterno's wins came at Penn State, but Saban's 87.6% (199-28) winning percentage across nearly two decades at Alabama is nothing short of spectacular.

Meanwhile, Arkansas coach Sam Pittman's head coaching record is in danger of falling below .500 for the first time in two years. If Arkansas fails to pull the upset, Pittman's record will stand at 21-22. The last time Pittman had more losses than wins was when the Hogs visited Bryant-Denny Stadium in 2021 and lost 42-35.

As if Saban's greatness needed to be put in any more context, at this rate, Pittman will hit the 28-loss mark by year 5. Thankfully, for Hog fans it's mathematically impossible for him to get there this year.

For all the talk about Saban's decline, a reality check never hurts. Saban's continued dominance of the SEC West and the entire college football landscape at one program is something that won't be seen for a very long time. I guess you have your own special set of problems when you set your own standard that high. After all the talk of the SEC West being wide open, Alabama sure looks like the front-runners again.

"Unbelievable," Pittman said of Saban's success. "I mean it is. To go through all the years that he's done, he’s had great success but you can’t say that he hasn’t been stressed. For him to do that, and so successful, I mean, he’s the best coach that’s ever been. I imagine he’ll quit when he’s not having fun anymore and not changing lives in these kids. Until that time, you know you’re going to get one hell of a football team."

Arkansas will look to avoid becoming a small part of history Saturday 11 a.m. inside Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa Ala. The game will be broadcast on ESPN and fuboTV.