Paul Finebaum: Nick Saban ‘is not thinking about Kirby Smart’

Paul Finebaum doesn’t believe Nick Saban has Kirby Smart on his mind, despite what pundits may think.

Many have championed Smart’s Georgia Bulldogs over Saban’s Alabama Crimson Tide as the new standard in the sport of college football. That’s what back-to-back titles will do for you. However, the SEC Network analyst believes the idea that Saban is chasing Smart is rubbish.

According to Finebaum, one thing alone matters, and that’s trophies hoisted when it’s all said and done. He has seven of them, and he’s focused on his eight, not what’s going on in Athens.

“For Nick Saban, it’s about national championships. And I know the narrative has changed, but come on now. He’s got a 4-1 record against Kirby Smart, he beat him two years ago in the SEC Championship and lost the rematch, which really didn’t matter. But I don’t think people are — at least where I am — get obsessed about that rivalry just yet,” explained Finebaum. “Maybe after Kirby wins again. But Nick Saban wants a championship. He’s won seven. Another one puts him at eight. I mean, he’s running away from from from Mount Rushmore right now with another championship.

“He’s not thinking about Kirby Smart. He’s thinking about holding the trophy up.”

Now, the two may be one and the same. Saban will have to likely go through Smart’s Bulldogs to get another national title. However, it’s not mutually exclusive, as Finebaum explained on ESPN’s First Take.

Alas, not everyone is a believer in Finebaum’s thought-process, as his colleague Peter Burns of the SEC Network told On3’s Andy Staples he believes Smart getting a couple rings brings a new energy to Saban. We have seen a couple of other coaches get the best of Saban in the past. Hugh Freeze while at Ole Miss, Gus Malzhan at Auburn, and even Dabo Swinney at Clemson.

None have been at the level of Smart though, with him being a former assistant to boot.

“I think Kirby, going back-to-back and doing so well, energizes Saban to a certain extent,” Burns said during Wednesday’s episode of Andy Staples On3. “There’s an interesting new level of the video game for him.”

Nevertheless, the duo will continue to be compared throughout the season. Whether it’s Kirby Smart or Nick Saban who gets the better of one another, they’re focused on winning a national title, and the season will be considered a disappointment if it doesn’t end that way.