Paul Finebaum sees Alabama program regressing under Nick Saban

After Saturday’s loss to LSU, it’s safe to say that 2022 won’t be a vintage Alabama season. The Tide had already dropped a close shootout on the road to Tennessee and, as they now sit with two losses after the OT defeat to the Tigers, Nick Saban’s team won’t control their own destiny in the SEC or for the CFP. From what he’s seen from his team this season, Paul Finebaum believes that Saban, as great as he may be, is proving that he has potentially lost a step.

Finebaum shared his thoughts on Saban during a recap of this weekend’s college football action for ESPN. He said that those who look for chinks in the Crimson Tide’s armor may finally be on to something, and it starts with the difference in their leader.

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“We all know Nick Saban turned 71 this week. Everyone’s looking for signs,” said Finebaum. “I hear things from people that know him very well, hear things from people inside that program. And there are whispers that, this is not a diminished Nick Saban, but there’s a fraction of a difference between this year and last year and the year before. I think that’s obvious.”

For as much as everyone discussed Alabama to start this season, they have underachieved though they still sit at 7-2. They were nearly upset by Texas and Texas A&M beyond their pair of losses. With things not going as well as some had hoped this year in Tuscaloosa, Finebaum believes it’s even worse considering that another SEC team is succeeding with the same formula that Saban used to.

“If you want to see what Alabama football looked like during the absolute pinnacle of the Saban era a couple of years ago? When they were in the championship game every year? Just go over to Athens. That’s what Nick Saban football looked like at its peak. It doesn’t look like that anymore,” Finebaum said. “I don’t think it’s a lack of talent. There’s plenty of talent there. It’s just a matter of putting people in the right position and getting them to play well.”

A down year for Alabama is still a dream season for some programs across the country. Still, expectations were not met in 2022. As crazy as it sounds, people want to know if it’s possible that Saban is finally running low on gas. Amidst all the changes in the sport and the way the Tide have looked at times this season, Finebaum doesn’t believe it’s now outside the realm of possibility.

“We’re seeing a lot of things changing in college football right now. And Nick Saban’s program seems like it’s regressing,” Finebaum said. “I know somebody’s gonna come out of their chair and go, ‘What are you talking about? They lost by a field goal to Tennessee. And they had a field goal that perhaps could have won it (against LSU)’. But you’re talking about two teams that Alabama should not be losing to.”