In January, Nick Saban sent shock waves through the college football landscape when he announced he would step away from the sidelines. Shortly after the legendary coach retired, Saban officially joined ESPN. 

While Saban works primarily as an analyst for the network's long-running and popular pregame program, "College GameDay," he also contributes to NFL Draft coverage and makes appearances on other ESPN shows and platforms. The last segment of an episode of "College GameDay" typically features a celebrity guest who offers their picks for some of the upcoming games.

On Friday, comedian Shane Gillis was tapped as the guest picker. But at one point during his appearance, one of the funnyman's jokes seemed to irritate Saban.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

During a discussion about the state of college football, Gillis cited the relatively new "parity" that exists in the sport. But during his remarks, Gillis also seemed to assert that either Saban or perhaps the Alabama football program as a whole orchestrated or turned a blind eye if players received improper payments.

ALABAMA AD CALLS ON FANS TO DONATE TO NIL COLLECTIVE TO STAY COMPETITIVE: 'WE MUST RESPOND'

"This feels different, it feels like we can win it," Gillis said. "There’s a parity, now that everybody can pay their players, Notre Dame has a shot. It’s not just the SEC, it’s not Coach Saban." The seven-time national championship winning coach was not present when Gillis made the comments.

However, fellow ESPN college football analyst Pat McAfee eventually reminded Gillis about what he said.

"You called him a cheater earlier," McAfee noted.

While Gillis said he made the comments in jest, Saban appeared to take offense to the suggestion that players were inappropriately compensated under his watch. 

"I was just joking around," Gillis said. "I don’t think the SEC paid players. Ever. I’m joking. Is this not a fun show?"

Gillis eventually turned his attention to Saban's attire, particularly the retired coach's hat.

"Ol' Alabama Jones is being serious," Gillis joked in an apparent reference to the hat that has become synonymous with the fictional character Indiana Jones.

Saban then offered a straightforward response to Gillis' joke concerning how he ran the Alabama program during his 17-year run.

"I do believe in integrity. I always tried to run the program that way so players had a better chance to be successful in life," Saban said. "We make more money in the NFL than any other school, 61 players in the league. That was how we cheated. We developed players."

Saban won six national titles during his storied tenure in Tuscaloosa. Before taking the head coaching job at Alabama, Saban led the LSU Tigers to the BCS National Championship Game after the 2003 regular season.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

During his storied coaching career, Nick Saban rarely shied away from an opportunity to share his thoughts on college football-centric hot topics.

Saban and the rest of ESPN's "College GameDay" crew were in Indiana ahead of the 12-team College Football Playoff opener between Notre Dame and the Hoosiers. While the high-stakes game was the main topic during the pregame show, embattled Ohio State coach Ryan Day was also discussed.

Saban came to Day's defense and directed his ire at Buckeyes fans, suggesting they shoulder at least some of the blame for the cloud of negativity circling the program.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Saban said the noise surrounding the program is a distraction to the coaches and players and also made it clear he respects Day and his program.

DEION SANDERS ADAMANT HIS SON SHEDEUR WILL BE THE NO. 1 OVERALL PICK IN THE NFL DRAFT

"I think every coach has gotta define how he wants to do it, and I have a lot of respect for Ryan Day and how he’s tried to do it," Saban said. "For me, I always wanted to get every player in the organization to reach their full potential. It wasn't so much about the outcome, it was what you had to do to make everybody better.

"But a big part of that was insulating the players from external factors — criticism, internet. I used to tell the players all the time, ‘Why do you care about what some guy puts on the internet who’s a fat guy in his underwear living in his mother’s basement? Why do you care? Why does that mean anything to you? Why does that affect you in any way, shape or form? We should be focused on what we control and what we can do.’

"It’s the same thing for the fans. I would tell the fans the same thing. If Ohio State wants to beat Michigan, they need to be positive about their coach and their players. There’s nobody that wants to beat them worse than the players and the coaches. That's No. 1. No. 2, they have an opportunity to win the national championship. Everybody ought to be supporting the hell out of them so that they have the best opportunity to do it and quit all this negative bulls---."

While Day has compiled a 66-10 record at Ohio State, his Buckeyes have lost four straight to the Michigan Wolverines.

Day's underwhelming results against Michigan have drawn criticism and raised concerns about the coach's job security. Day's focus is on the Buckeyes' upcoming game against Tennessee in the College Football Playoff. The Buckeyes host the Volunteers Saturday.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Alabama Crimson Tide Athletic Director Greg Byrne called on fans to donate to the school’s name, image and likeness (NIL) fund in a message on Wednesday.

Byrne posted his message to fans on social media.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

"Over the past few years, there have been drastic changes in college athletics. We have been careful during this transitional period to protect our position at the top of college athletics while being mindful to listen, engage and learn from our generous supporters, proud alumni and unrivaled fans to make sure that we protect our great traditions here at Alabama," Byrne’s message read. "But there’s a time for talk and a time for action. Now is a time for action.

"Although we have been competitive from an NIL standpoint, our competition has us in their sights and are actively trying to surge ahead with NIL. You have heard examples of other teams using promises of million-dollar paydays to lure away our players or convince them not to come to Alabama. It is time for the Bama Nation to fight back.

"Under the new model of college athletics, which is the result of an antitrust lawsuit against the NCAA, a university can succeed if their fans purchase authentic NIL from student-athletes. The good news is when @yea_ala was created last year, the focus was on providing our fans with a legitimate product rather than booster inducements. @yea_ala delivers exclusive content and access you cannot get anywhere else. We also have a plan to grow @yea_ala’s offerings with more videos, features and news in 2025."

TRAVIS, JASON KELCE CRITICAL OF OHIO LAWMAKER'S BILL OUTLAWING FLAG PLANTING ON BUCKEYES' FIELD: 'FEELS SOFT'

Byrne said donating to the fund was about keeping stars with the Crimson Tide so they do not go elsewhere for a better deal.

"At Alabama, we’ve not measured ourselves against our competition," he added. "We are the standard, and that measurement is against the mirror and against a rich and proud history, but it’s impossible to ignore what is taking place in college athletics. Hungry fan bases are acting decisively to give their respective programs competitive advantages. We must respond."

More than a dozen football players entered the transfer portal when it opened on Tuesday, including wide receiver Jaylen Mbakwe.

However, the team received a few commitments through their own endeavors into the transfer portal. The school signed Florida defensive lineman Kelby Collins and Utah cornerback Cameron Calhoun.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Alabama athletics director Greg Byrne lamented the Crimson Tide being left out of the College Football Playoff on Sunday and suggested the football program would rethink its non-conference schedule.

Byrne had pointed to the Crimson Tide’s strength of schedule during the season as to why Alabama deserved to be in the playoff as a three-loss team over someone like SMU. Byrne made the case before the bracket was revealed, but the selection committee didn’t take the bait.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

It led to questions about whether strength of schedule mattered to officials who decided the bracket.

"Disappointed with the outcome and felt we were one of the 12 best teams in the country," Byrne wrote on X. "We had an extremely challenging schedule and recognize there were two games in particular that we did not perform as well as we should have."

"We have said that we would need to see how strength of schedule would be evaluated by the CFP. With this outcome, we will need to (assess) how many P4 non-conference games make sense in the future to put us in the best position to participate in the CFP. That is not good for college football."

Alabama was ranked No. 11 in the penultimate release. But they didn’t have a conference championship to play for. If SMU had defeated Clemson, the Crimson Tide might have been the team in the tournament.

ALABAMA MISSES OUT ON COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF BRACKET, FANS CHEER

College Football Playoff selection committee chair Warde Manuel explained why SMU made the field.

"Your debate on television really sums up the debate in the room," he said, per Saturday Down South. "We looked at the number of wins that Alabama had against ranked opponents. We looked at SMU’s schedule, and they were undefeated in conference. Their losses were to ranked teams. But we also looked at Alabama’s losses to unranked teams. And it was quite a debate. We value strength of schedule. That’s why Alabama as a three-loss team is ranked ahead of other teams that have two losses. It is something that we talked about quite a bit."

"But in the balance of it, in the way that SMU played in that game, losing on a last-second field goal, great win by Clemson, great game. We just felt like SMU, in this particular case, still had the nod at 10 above Alabama. But it’s no disrespect to Alabama’s strength of schedule. It’s merely looking at the entire body of work for both teams."

Alabama will play in the ReliaQuest Bowl against Michigan.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Former Alabama head coach Nick Saban took aim at strength of schedule being a true factor when it came to rankings and seeding for the College Football Playoff on Sunday.

Saban watched as his old team was left out of the 12-team field while SMU was able to get into the bracket despite losing the ACC Championship to Clemson. Alabama was seeded No. 11 in the penultimate rankings but failed to find its way into the final bracket reveal.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Alabama athletics director Greg Byrne pointed out late Saturday that the Crimson Tide were No. 3 in opponents’ winning percentage and had three wins against teams in the CFP poll before the bracket was released. He wrote on X that "strength of schedule matters."

But Saban suggested on ESPN that Alabama may have been thought more highly of if strength of schedule truly mattered.

"I think one of the things that I’ve mentioned throughout this football season is if we don’t take strength of scheduling into consideration, is there any benefit to scheduling really good teams in the future," Saban said. "Like, here at Alabama, who’s supposed to play Notre Dame, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Florida State in the future outside of the (SEC).

2024-25 COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF BRACKET REVEALED: HOW DOES THE 12-TEAM FIELD SHAKE OUT?

"Well, those are great games for fans to see – and that’s what I think we should be doing in college football, it’s creating more inventory for great games that people are interested in – but do you enhance people wanting to do that where what’s the athletic director going to do, he may go cancel all those games now knowing that the SEC is tough enough."

Saban did say, however, he thought the 12 best teams in college football were represented in the bracket.

"But at the same time I do think the best teams are in the playoff, which I think is most important," Saban said. "And no coach should have any complaint about his circumstance is relative to get into the playoff or out of the playoff because they all controlled their own destiny and they all had opportunities. They had some flaws and bad losses that contributed to their circumstances. 

"So, this could be a learning lesson for each and every team and every individual on those teams."

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

The Alabama Crimson Tide were on the outside looking into the College Football Playoff bracket on Sunday after Clemson received the No. 12 seed and SMU got an at-large bid.

Alabama hoped the College Football Playoff selection committee would look at their overall body of work after conference championship weekend. The committee had Alabama as the No. 11 seed last week, but the Crimson Tide had nothing to play for on Saturday.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

As a result of Clemson’s last-second win over SMU, both ACC schools received bids into the 12-team field. No. 11 SMU is set to hit the road to play No. 6 Penn State.

The college football world seemingly cheered as fans learned Alabama would miss the playoff.

Alabama athletics director Greg Byrne made a pitch to the committee late Saturday.

"Strength of schedule matters," he wrote on X. "Not all schedules and conferences are created equal.

2024 COLLEGE FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP ODDS: OREGON, GEORGIA FAVORED AS CFP FIELD REVEALED

"Six of our eight wins are against bowl eligible teams and have come against some of the top teams in the SEC, including SEC champion Georgia."

Byrne also included a graphic, showing that Alabama was No. 3 in opponents’ winning percentage, No. 17 in ESPN strength of schedule and had three wins against teams in the College Football Top 25 poll. The team finished 9-3 and had some brutal losses.

It’s the first year of the 12-team field for the College Football Playoff. The field expanded from four teams.

The Crimson Tide were in last year’s playoff but fell to No. 1 Michigan, 27-20. It was Nick Saban’s last game as head coach. Kalen DeBoer took over before the start of the 2024 season.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

The Alabama Crimson Tide will learn Sunday whether they make the 12-team College Football Playoff despite failing to play for an SEC Championship this season.

Alabama was not a part of conference championship weekend and saw Georgia defeat Texas in overtime to win the SEC. Additionally, Alabama may have had a lock to make the Playoff if SMU held off Clemson, but Dabo Swinney’s Tigers won the ACC Championship in a stunner.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Now, Alabama’s fate is in the hands of the College Football Playoff selection committee. Greg Byrne, the school’s athletics director, made his case for Alabama to be included.

"Strength of schedule matters," he wrote on X. "Not all schedules and conferences are created equal.

"Six of our eight wins are against bowl eligible teams and have come against some of the top teams in the SEC, including SEC champion Georgia."

CLEMSON'S DABO SWINNEY SAYS SMU 'BETTER BE' IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF AFTER BEATING THEM IN ACC TITLE GAME

Byrne also included a graphic, showing that Alabama was No. 3 in opponents’ winning percentage, No. 17 in ESPN strength of schedule and had three wins against teams in the College Football Top 25 poll.

Alabama finished the regular season 9-3.

Alabama was ranked No. 11 in the penultimate College Football Playoff rankings. The Miami Hurricanes were the first team on the outside looking in.

It’s all at the doorstep of the committee. 

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

If the latest college football rankings hold, this year's playoff is going to look even more different than previously expected.

When the committee announced it would be moving from a four-team to a 12-team playoff format, it seemed like Alabama would be a lock just about every year.

But, in the playoff's first year with a dozen teams, the Crimson Tide are on the outside looking in.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Here's a look at the bracket projection, which includes five automatic bids and seven at-large selections. (Reminder: A team's seeding may not necessarily equal its ranking).

1. Oregon — Big Ten representative (11-0, 8-0)

2. Texas — SEC representative (10-1, 4-1); ranked third

3. Miami — ACC representative (10-1, 5-1); ranked sixth

4. Boise State — Mountain West representative (10-1, 7-0); ranked 11th

12. Arizona State — Big 12 representative (9-2, 6-2); ranked 16th

5. Ohio State (10-1, 7-1); ranked second

6. Penn State (10-1, 7-1); ranked fourth

7. Notre Dame (10-1); ranked fifth

8. Georgia (9-2, 6-2); ranked seventh

9. Tennessee (9-2, 5-2); ranked eighth

10. SMU (10-1, 7-0); ranked ninth. SMU leads the ACC, but the committee projects Miami will win the conference title.

11. Indiana (10-1, 7-1); ranked 10th

This means the first two teams out are Clemson (ranked 12th) and Alabama.

SHEDEUR SANDERS PUSHES BACK ON FATHER DEION’S CLAIM THAT COLORADO BECAME ‘INTOXICATED WITH SUCCESS’

Alabama and Ole Miss were in the projection last week, but after losing to Oklahoma and Florida, respectively, they are now 13th and 14th, respectively.

Indiana hung onto its projected spot despite getting blown out by Ohio State Saturday. The Hoosiers dropped from No. 5 to No. 10 in the nation.

Colorado had controlled its own College Football Playoff destiny, but after its loss to Kansas over the weekend, it will need a lot of help.

If 'Bama misses the playoff, it would be the first time since 2022, when the Tide finished the season No. 5. They have made the playoff eight of 10 times. They finished 13th in the country when they missed it in 2019.

Clemson faces No. 15 South Carolina, but with the teams in the bracket projection all having favorable matchups, a Tigers' win alone may not be enough.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Entering Saturday night, all No. 7 Alabama needed was a win against unranked Oklahoma to remain very safe in the College Football Playoff bracket.

Earlier in the day, No. 5 Indiana was blown out, No. 4 Penn State barely squeaked by Minnesota, and No. 9 Ole Miss and No. 14 BYU both lost.

But, the Crimson Tide could not get the job done, as Oklahoma dominated to a 24-3 victory.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Alabama's Jalen Milroe, who had been one of the nation's best players, had his worst game of the season. He completed 11 of 26 passes for 164 yards with three interceptions and gained just seven yards on 15 carries for Alabama (8-3, 4-3). The Sooners held Alabama to 234 yards. He went just 2-for-7 for 62 yards before the half.

True freshman Xavier Robinson ran for career highs of 107 yards and two touchdowns as Oklahoma became bowl eligible and took coach Brent Venables off the hot seat.

The Sooners' victory resulted in yet another edition of fans storming the field too early, but at least this one was practically over anyway, unlike the BYU-Arizona State game.

APPALACHIAN STATE FANS PELT JAMES MADISON PLAYERS WITH SNOWBALLS BEFORE GAME

Ole Miss and Alabama, both in the bracket prediction last week, now have three losses on the season. This leaves the door wide open for 9-2 teams like Clemson and Iowa State, who had been ranked 17th and 22nd in the nation, respectively.

And now, Indiana's college football playoff hopes, right after their undefeated season ending, may not look all that over. No. 10 Georgia and No. 11 Tennessee figure to move up a few spots with three teams ahead of them in the rankings all losing.

Although, it's certainly not out of the question that Alabama could be on the outside looking in.

The next rankings will come out on Tuesday, and it should be very exciting to see what the committee has in store.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

During his 17 seasons patrolling the Alabama football sideline, Nick Saban became familiar with competing against Auburn, the Crimson Tide's in-state rival.

The retired Saban works as an analyst for ESPN's "College GameDay." The popular television program was in Columbus, Ohio, Saturday for the matchup between Ohio State and Indiana. 

The Buckeyes entered the Week 13 contest No. 2 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings, while Indiana was slotted fifth. Ohio State handed Indiana its first loss of the season.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

During a discussion about Saturday's Southeastern Conference showdown between Auburn and the visiting Texas A&M Aggies, Saban issued a warning about playing at Jordan-Hare Stadium, suggesting the football stadium was "haunted."

FLORIDA DELIVERS CRUSHING BLOW TO NO. 9 OLE MISS' COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF HOPES WITH UPSET WIN

"Well, I would be alerting Texas A&M, because, in my opinion, 17 years going to Auburn and playing at Jordan-Hare [Stadium], that place is haunted," Saban said. "I guarantee it.

"The way we lost games and the way we won games there, it's unbelievable. Kick Six, and then the 'gravedigger' last year. I mean, I'm telling you, the place is haunted."

The Iron Bowl, the name for the Alabama-Auburn rivalry, has resulted in surprising and memorable finishes on several occasions.

The "Kick Six" play was a reference to a game-winning 109-yard return on a missed field goal as time expired during the 2013 edition of the game.

Saban coached the Crimson Tide to victory more times than not in the Iron Bowl, going 12-5 during his career. But Alabama had a 5-4 record in games played at Auburn's home stadium.

Texas A&M will look to keep its playoff hopes alive Saturday night during its visit to Auburn. The next edition of the Iron Bowl is scheduled for Nov. 30. This year's game will be played on Alabama's campus at Bryant-Denny Stadium. The rivalry moves back to Jordan-Hare in 2025.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.