Having coached in the collegiate ranks for decades, Alabama’s Nick Saban has a soft spot for the tradition in college football.
And with the recent shuffle of several of the sport’s biggest teams and conferences, Saban finds himself disappointed that a lot of history will be tossed to the side over the next several years.
“There’s a lot of traditions that we’ve had for a long time in college football,” Saban said. “… And some of those traditions are going to get sort of pushed by the wayside.”
“It’s sad.”
Saban’s nostalgia comes in light of the dismantling of the Pac-12 over the past several days, with Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, Oregon, Utah and Washington all agreeing to bolt to different conferences.
Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah are all on their way to join the Big 12, while Oregon and Washington will be joining USC and UCLA in the Big 10 beginning in the 2024 season.
With those moves, classic rivalries such as the Civil War between Oregon and Oregon State and the Apple Cup between Washington and Washington State may be going on the back burner for a few years
That’s only the tip of the iceberg, however.
While the Pac-12 will suffer the most from the recent changes, Saban and Alabama are also going to feel the effects, as Oklahoma and Texas are both set to join the SEC next year.
Saban is hoping that all these decisions—motivated by the financial gains of the programs involved—won’t negatively impact college athletes and their experiences.
Whether it’s good, bad or indifferent for college football—I guess you have to define what is good and bad for college football,” Saban said of the moves. “So, I think one thing I would just hope that we would keep in mind in all the choices and decisions we make relative to what we do in college athletics is the student-athlete,” he added.
“They’re here to get an education and try to help them develop careers on and off the field. And hopefully, some of the choices and decisions that we make for college athletics in the future will impact them in a positive way. And I hope that we can keep that as a priority in terms of whatever we decide to do in the future with college football and college athletics.”
