Nick Saban on Bear Bryant: 'He's the greatest coach of all time'

Nick Saban might have built his own legacy with Alabama, but he still looks up Bear Bryant. Heading into the national title game Monday, the current Crimson Tide had gave a nod to the legend.

“I still think in my mind, he’s the greatest coach of all time,” Saban told SEC Network. “I still look up to him just that way. If it wasn’t for the legacy of what he did at Alabama, there would be no way that we could have the success that we’ve had at Alabama. He established the tradition and the standard that helped us emulate it to a degree. He was really the pioneer that set the standard for a lot of things in our profession.”

Saban has the most national championships of any coach in college football history with seven. Six of those have come with Alabama, and he has a chance to earn a seventh Monday night against Georgia. Should he accomplish that feat, he would surpass Bryant for the most in school history.

Bryant spent 25 seasons as the Crimson Tide football coach from 1958-1982. He is still the all-time winningest coach in the program with a record of 232-46-9. Saban is right behind him in second place with a 183-24 record in 15 seasons with the Tide.

Nick Saban still has a ways to go if he hopes to catch Bear Bryant’s 323 career wins, which ranks eighth in college football history. However, for many, achieving an eighth national championship could push him above Bryant. Either way, Saban doesn’t see it as a competition, respecting the history of Alabama while still aiming to make his own.

In Georgia, the current Crimson Tide coach will face a team he has already beaten once this season. It should be noted Saban is 3-0 (1-0 with Alabama, 2-0 with LSU) when facing a team for the second time in a season.

But beating the Bulldogs will be no easy feat. They enter the national title with revenge on their mind, not just for the SEC Championship, but a 2017 national championship loss to Alabama. Georgia will hope its highly hyped defense can perform better after surrendering 41 points and more than 500 yards in the first meeting this season.

Kickoff between the Bulldogs and Tide is set for 8 p.m. Monday at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana.