Nick Saban compares fast, physical Oregon style of play to his Ferrari

The top-ranked Oregon Ducks remain college football’s only undefeated team following the conclusion of the 2024 regular season. And for good reason according to former Alabama head coach Nick Saban.

While evaluating the Big Ten Championship Game matchup between No. 1 Oregon (12-0) and No. 3 Penn State (11-1) during Friday’s The Pat McAfee Show, Saban made the point that the high-flying Ducks are among the most explosive offensive teams in the country.

“Explosive plays have become the second indicator of winning and losing, … turnover ratio is No. 1, but explosive play ratio is No. 2,” Saban said Friday from inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the site of Saturday’s SEC Championship Game, “so teams like Oregon just make a lot of explosive plays and that is hard to overcome.”

Led by senior Heisman Trophy-contending quarterback Dillon Gabriel, Oregon leads the Big Ten in total offense, averaging 448.5 yards per game, and is third in the league averaging 35.2 points per game, topping the 30-point mark 10 times this season.

But Saban isn’t just impressed by the Ducks’ splashy big plays or the programs flashy uniform combinations. In Oregon’s third season under head coach Dan Lanning – a former Alabama graduate assistant under Saban and Georgia defensive coordinator under Kirby Smart – the 73-year-old coach-turned-ESPN analyst sees the No. 1 Ducks as the complete package.

Like a luxury car built for racing. And even more specifically, Saban’s beloved $227,000 Ferrari Portofino M Class, which he’d often showing off to Alabama recruits during his coaching days.

“They are a physical team. I think that’s what Dan (Lanning) has brought to them. They used to just be skill, fast, now they have the skill and the fast flash, but they also are physical,” Saban continued. “The two defensive ends (Matayo Uiagalelei and Derrick Harmon) they’ve got are really good, and I tell you what, the (Jordan) James kid, the running back, No. 20, he runs behind his pads, he gets positive yards after contact.

“I like Oregon, but I would say Oregon’s team is more like my Ferrari than your Ram truck.”

Saban is also part owner of a Nashville-based luxury Ferrari dealership, as well as multiple Mercedes Benz dealerships throughout the Southeast.

James Franklin breaks down challenges Dillon Gabriel presents

Experience is everything when it comes to James Franklin’s evaluation of Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel.

“For me, the thing that stands out about him? You know, it seems like he’s been playing college football for like the last ten years,” Franklin said this week. “He’s just so poised and relaxed. You watch him play. He just looks so relaxed. He looks so poised. You’re not going to give him a whole lot that he hasn’t seen before.

“He’s played a ton of football. You’ve got an experienced quarterback,” Franklin continued. “He looks very comfortable and relaxed and, because of that, he’s thrown for a very high percentage.”

Sam Gillenwater contributed to this report.