Nick Saban questions legitimacy of SEC playoff team's home atmosphere

The path to the national championship is closing in as there are just over 24 hours remaining until the College Football Playoff kicks off.

The majority of the action will take place on Saturday, with many eyes likely on No. 7 Texas A&M and No. 10 Miami. It'll be an early kickoff, but that shouldn't stop Kyle Field from buzzing.

With one of the largest home venues in the country, capable of holding over 100,000 screaming fans, the Aggies could have a major advantage.

Texas A&M is 7-0 in College Station this year, including a wild comeback against South Carolina, where the Aggies trailed 30-0 at halftime before winning 31-30.

Regardless, college football legend and College GameDay panelist Nick Saban has some reservations about Texas A&M's atmosphere.

Nick Saban Complained To SEC Office Over Texas A&M Crowd Noise

Saban made an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show on Thursday. Naturally, most of his time on the episode revolved around the upcoming CFP matchups.

When the discussion progressed to the game between Texas A&M and Miami, Saban made an interesting claim.

Though Saban agreed that the Aggies have one of the top home-field advantages in the sport, he thinks part of that is due to piping in fake crowd noise.

Saban even added that he took his complaints to the league office while he was still coaching.

"I don’t think there’s any question about it. I did more complaining to the SEC office, it was more than complaining that I don’t really want to say on this show, about this is the noisiest place," Saban said on the show. "Plus, they pipe in noise."

"They pipe in noise," Saban continued. "I mean, you can’t hear yourself think when you’re playing out there, and it is a huge advantage when they play at home, especially for their defense, especially getting off the spot. Makes it really difficult for the offensive line."

Since Texas A&M joined the SEC in 2012, Saban and the Crimson Tide have faced them on the road six times. Alabama came out on top in five of those matchups, including four straight from 2013-19.

The lone defeat came in 2021 when former Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher, who worked under Saban previously, led the unranked Aggies to a 41-38 win over then-No. 1 Alabama.

"I have a tremendous amount of respect [for TAMU], even when I was coaching and having to go play there," Saban said. "The traditions that they have at Texas A&M, and the spirit that they have at Texas A&M, it's unique and special, and I have a tremendous amount of respect for it.

Saban believes the clash of opposing styles between Texas A&M and Miami should make for an interesting contest. The Hurricanes will need to find some success early to quiet the noise.

"I think this is going to be one of the best games of this early playoff season, man. I'm looking forward to this game because both of these teams, to me, are very, very good football teams and play different styles," Saban said. "It'll be interesting to see which style, physical Miami team against a very skilled, fast, aggressive A&M team."

"The one thing that I think, Miami, can get under center and they can run the ball, that might be helpful to settle them down from a noise standpoint but if you have to go on silent count in this game, which you probably will, especially if you're in the gun, it's going to be a huge advantage for A&M's defense," Saban continued.

Texas A&M and Miami will kick off at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday, December 20. The contest will be televised on ABC and ESPN.

The Aggies and Hurricanes are battling for a trip to the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic to face Ohio State.

Nick Saban Complained To SEC Office Over Texas A&M Crowd Noise

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