Nick Saban Pushes Back on Kirk Herbstreit, Pat McAfee Over Bold LSU, Michigan Claims

The Tigers climbed to No. 8 after a 51-10 win over Clemson, but the seven-time national champion says one week settles nothing.

Nick Saban disagreed with Pat McAfee and Kirk Herbstreit's narrative that LSU was on a national championship run. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

ESPN analyst Nick Saban spent part of Saturday's "College GameDay" in Austin pushing back on his own desk mates, who used the show's Week 1 overreaction segment to float LSU as a national championship team. The former Alabama coach also disagreed with the argument that Michigan's season is already over.

Pat McAfee opened the segment by saying LSU's 51-10 win over Clemson convinced him. "I don't know how you beat that LSU team if they're able to stay healthy," McAfee said. "They are dominant across the board."

McAfee and Herbstreit hype LSU

LSU Tigers quarterback Sam Leavitt (10) looks on against Clemson Tigers during the second half at Tiger Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

McAfee said the Tigers looked like a different class of team in person. "You guys didn't see what I saw. They're big, fast, strong," McAfee said.

Kirk Herbstreit agreed and pointed at the quarterback. "How about Leavitt, that herky-jerky creativity that he has, along with Charlie Weis Jr.'s system? Dangerous. I'm buying that," Herbstreit said. "I don't know if that's an overreaction. They look great." The crowd behind the set answered both of them with an "overrated" chant.

Sam Leavitt, the Arizona State transfer running LSU coach Lane Kiffin's offense, threw for 230 yards and a touchdown and ran for 113 yards and two more scores against Clemson. LSU led 31-3 at halftime and outgained the visitors 336 yards to 54.

Why did Nick Saban push back?

Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood celebrates after scoring a touchdown against Western Michigan. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Saban, who won a national title at LSU in 2003 and six more at Alabama, called the takes what he has always called them. "I hear you've got rat poison over here for LSU. I hear you proclaiming that they're going to win the national championship after one game," Saban said.

He then turned to Desmond Howard and brought up Michigan, where Howard won the 1991 Heisman Trophy. "We've got people all over your alma mater, Michigan, about how they played last week."

Western Michigan led late in Ann Arbor before Michigan won 13-12 on a 47-yard Hail Mary from Bryce Underwood to JJ Buchanan as time expired, and Associated Press voters dropped the Wolverines from No. 16 to unranked.

So Saban used both results to make the same point. "It's one game. One game. I mean, everybody has the opportunity to improve. It's a long season," Saban said. Herbstreit cut in with "Lighten up, Francis," but Saban finished the thought anyway. "One thing that I hated and despised about the media is how they sort of proclaimed your team early in the season."

LSU's next test against Ole Miss

LSU Tigers head coach Lane Kiffin talks to quarterback Sam Leavitt (10) against the Clemson Tigers. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

LSU moved from No. 11 to No. 8 in the first regular-season AP Top 25, one of the biggest climbs of any ranked team. Ole Miss sits one spot behind at No. 9, and the two meet in Oxford on Sept. 19 in Kiffin's first game against the program he left after the 2025 regular season. Before that, Louisiana Tech visits Tiger Stadium at 6:30 p.m. ET on Saturday.