Nick Saban didn’t lose games like this at Alabama

You can count his national championship and SEC trophies.

You can list all the NFL players he produced.

But what made Nick Saban great, what made him the best college football coach of all time in some experts’ estimation, is he didn’t have Saturdays like Kalen DeBoer and Alabama just suffered through.

He didn’t lose games he was supposed to win, at least following that trying first season in Tuscaloosa when the Crimson Tide went 7-6 way back in 2007. He didn’t follow up exhilarating victories like the one over Georgia the previous Saturday by losing as a mammoth favorite to perennial SEC punching bag Vanderbilt, 40-35. In fact, this was Alabama’s second loss to an unranked opponent since 2007, the other time coming at Texas A&M in 2021.

Saban liked to use the phrase “rat poison,” as a way to get his players not to feel too good about themselves, to avoid letdown performances like the one we just saw from the Crimson Tide. It was frequently mocked, but it also worked.

This isn’t to hammer DeBoer, a quality coach who is now 30-4 at power-conference schools. The expanded playoff lessens the significance of this setback, as long as Alabama responds. But it is a reminder of Saban’s greatness.

It is ironic that Saban said on ESPN’s “College GameDay” that Vanderbilt is the only easy place to play in the SEC. Saban the coach must hate Saban the announcer. DeBoer probably isn’t too fond of him at the moment after Alabama lost to Vandy for the first time since 1984.

The Crimson Tide’s dominance under Saban’s watch was more than national championships and SEC titles. It was their consistency of avoiding overconfidence and trap games. It was treating Vanderbilt like it was Georgia. It was handling their business no matter the stakes. They never went to Vanderbilt and allowed 418 yards of offense, played sloppily on both sides of the ball and gave away a game, like the Crimson Tide just did.

This doesn’t mean Alabama can’t win the SEC or be the last team standing in January. It absolutely still can. This result doesn’t change that. It, however, is a reminder of Saban’s greatness. He didn’t lose games like this.

Army is 5-0 and has yet to get pushed, hammering all five of its opponents. Navy, too, is 5-0, and has manhandled four of its five foes, the lone exception a 12-point shootout victory over Memphis, the AAC preseason favorite.

The two service academics haven’t both started 5-0 since 1945. Army sits all alone atop the AAC at 4-0 in conference play, Navy one win behind the Black Knights at 3-0. This would be a cool story anyway, because it is rare for Army and Navy to perform well in the same season — they last had winning campaigns in the same year in 2017 — but it’s even more significant in this the first year of the expanded playoff.

Army and Navy could wind up playing one another for the AAC crown, with a potential bid to the playoffs as the highest ranked Group of Five conference champion. Their annual showdown, set for Dec. 14 this year, takes place after the playoff is determined.

There’s obviously a long way to go. Army and Navy both still have to deal with No. 14 Notre Dame. But after they both won in dominant fashion on Saturday — Army crushed Tulsa, 49-7, while Navy smoked Air Force, 34-7 — it’s easy to dream about one of these schools, or both, having a legitimate shot at the playoff. They are the only undefeated teams in their conference. It sure would add a unique twist to college football’s introduction to Cinderella if Army or Navy were given a swing at a traditional powerhouse.

If I had to pick one team that stands above the rest at this juncture, it would be Ohio State. The Buckeyes haven’t played anyone yet, but they haven’t stubbed their toe like Alabama and Tennessee just did. They haven’t struggled against an inferior opponent, as Oregon has.

They waxed a decent Iowa team on Saturday and have outscored the opposition by a ridiculous 230-34. The offense is loaded with playmakers and the defense is stifling. We will obviously know more about this group after it visits Oregon on Saturday, the Buckeyes’ first significant test. But while others have played down to the competition, Ohio State has risen above that trap. Ryan Day and Co. are the early team to beat.