Nick Saban roasts Pat McAfee over his 'crazy' SEC Championship pick on College GameDay

Pat McAfee provided a viral moment on ESPN College GameDay this past Saturday. The energetic analyst called the dawgs, getting Georgia fans fired up, before picking Alabama to upset the Bulldogs in the SEC Championship Game.

McAfee and Alabama coach Nick Saban spoke about McAfee’s antics during Saban’s weekly appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Thursday.

“They showed me what you did before the game when you made your pick. I mean, you have to be crazy to do something like that,” Saban said laughing.

Pat McAfee shared that he wasn’t exactly sure how many fans were around before he trolled Bulldogs fans. He was a bit surprised when he realized just how packed it was.

“I didn’t know there was that many people there, either. It wasn’t that packed at the beginning of the program. And I had not turned around in a while,” McAfee said. “And when they showed that sky view, and it was the entire convention center packed out, that was when it really started getting real, like, ‘OK, here we go.’ But coach, I believed. I believed in your team.”

McAfee was interested to hear Nick Saban’s opinion of his pick and the way he went about it. Saban had nothing but positive things to say about McAfee’s support.

“I appreciate it, man. I really do,” Saban said.

Saban and Alabama went on to make McAfee look smart, beating Georgia 27-24 in the SEC title game to clinch a spot in the College Football Playoff.

Nick Saban reveals what’s made 2023 Alabama squad ‘a lot of fun to coach’

Alabama has made quite the turnaround since early in the season and now has a legit chance to win another national title.

For Nick Saban, the lessened expectations this season compared to others did take a burden off the team. Rather than starting the year at No. 1 and never leaving, the Tide were knocked from their perch and looked in rough shape after losing to Texas and barely defeating USF with a carousel of quarterbacks taking snaps.

After those performances, Alabama was counted out, which is rare territory under Nick Saban. As he notes, that disrespect gave this 2023 group something to go and prove.

“I think the big thing is, because we got off to a rough start, the team had something to prove,” Nick Saban shared on the Pat McAfee Show when asked why he’s enjoyed coaching this team so much. He also explained that the lack of high expectations was a nice change of pace compared to past seasons.

“So, what’s been the case for us in many years of the past is… there’s such a high expectation and a high level in the beginning that creates a lot of anxiety for people to try to satisfy those expectations, which takes some of the fun out of it.”