ESPN’s Nick Saban Talks CFP Landscape & Early Heisman Hopefuls

Nick Saban spent his whole life on a team. Retirement from coaching, it turns out, didn't change that.

Rich asked the former coach about his time on College GameDay, noting that Saban looks like he's having a blast and that being back on campus probably keeps him fresh. Saban agreed, and then revealed what he actually worried about when he left the sideline.

"One of the biggest fears that I had getting out of coaching was, I've been a part of a team since I was nine years old," Saban said. "So what's it going to be like if you're not a part of a team? Well, I'm still a part of a team because of such a great group of people at ESPN."

He still grinds, too. Saban said he watches a lot of film getting ready for the show, and that the work keeps him involved in the game. "We have a lot of fun," he said. "Something I look forward to."

Then Rich got to the picks. Saban's preseason national championship selection was Miami over Texas, and Rich offered him a mulligan.

Saban didn't exactly take it, but he did update the board. "I think we know a little bit more now than what we did then about these teams," he said. Asked which teams have looked most complete, he named Georgia, Miami, and Ohio State, even though the Buckeyes lost at Texas. "I still think they're one of the most complete teams in the country," Saban said, adding that the heat got to Ohio State a little in the fourth quarter.

He was careful not to diminish the Longhorns. "That's to take nothing away from Texas because I would put them in that category as well," he said. Beyond that group, Saban sees a lot of teams with the potential to move up, but after the first three or four games, those are the ones that have shown the most promise.

Rich backed him up on Ohio State. In a College Football Playoff world, he argued, one loss is no longer the end of the year. "How many NFL teams make the playoffs undefeated? Ohio State just lost to Texas, for crying out loud. That's not that big of a deal."

The last question was the Heisman, and specifically Jeremiah Smith. Would Saban name him the Heisman based on how he looks, or does not being a quarterback hold him back?

Saban called the Heisman a tough one, but he did not hedge on Smith's talent. "He's one of the most dominant players in college football. I mean, he really is. That guy is big and strong," he said.

Then came the comparison that carries weight coming from him. "I thought Julio Jones was kind of one of a kind back in the day when we had him, but this guy reminds me of him in a lot of ways," Saban said.

Where he stopped short was the voting philosophy. Saban said it's hard to know whether the award should go to the player with the best stats or the player with the biggest impact on the game, and he doesn't know exactly which matters more. His conclusion: Smith "has got to be one of the players that is very much considered for it. That's for sure."

Coming from the coach who had Julio Jones, that is about as strong a comparison as Saban can make.