Nick Saban enjoys being a part of the College Football Playoff, but he’s not too thrilled with the schedule.
According to ESPN’s Alex Scarborough, the Alabama coach expressed frustration over what he feels is a tight turnaround between the semifinal and final game.
“Someone has to think about the players,” Saban said, “and not what’s convenient for the media or TV.”
Saban’s Crimson Tide played Clemson in the second of the two semifinal games, and it wasn’t until around 1 a.m. that they started packing up. That means they didn’t get back to Tuscaloosa until Tuesday morning.
As frustrated as Saban is, Georgia is in a similar position. They played on the same day, albeit a few hours earlier. However, they were in Pasadena, not New Orleans, so the extra travel probably evens things out.
We know Saban likes to have as much time as possible to prepare for his opponents, but having a championship game a week later is nothing different from what goes on during the regular season. And at least the CFP got things right by changing the date of the semifinal games from New Year’s Eve to New Year’s Day when many more people would be able to watch.
