Today’s College Football Drove Nick Saban Retirement

Nick Saban may be the greatest college football coach ever.  But the game has changed in the past few years.  In fact, it's changed so much I thing he had had enough and decided to walk away when he announced he was retiring yesterday, after 17 years with Alabama.

Despite being in his 70's he seemed as fiery and competitive as ever.  He can still coach and he can still recruit.  And he has the greatest coaching tree in the history of the sport.  In fact, several coaches who's careers seemed to be at a dead end, came to Alabama as assistants or "consultants" and revitalized their careers.  We called it "coaching re-hab."

But, in addition to coaching and recruiting, a head coach now a days has to re-recruit his own players each year from going into the transfer portal seeking greener (money) pastures.  Plus he has to replentish his roster by using that same portal.  And Name, Image, and Likeness has hauled the sport to the doorsteps of professional sports.  It's a lot to juggle for anyone.  But especially a coach in his 70's with nothing else to prove regarding his great legacy.

We look back on the life and career of Nick Saban with Trivia on Craig Shemon and Company on ESPN Southwest Florida.

I wonder if my University of Michigan friends got any sleep last night. It's got to be thrilling to see their team win a National Championship for the first time in decades plus have the Detroit Lions in the playoffs. Sure, I'm a little jelly, since I'm a Michigan State Spartan. But, I'm happy for my Wolverine friends and family. You guys played a great season and game against Washington. Let's relive the magic with some of the best moments from the Michigan vs. Washington National Championship game.

While the Washington Huskies played their hears out, this game became lopsided at the end, with the Wolverines being victorious, 34-13. The first half of the game was much more even. I wasn't even sure what was going to win going into the half. But, the final quarter really showed the strength of this Michigan team. Congratulations to Jim Harbaugh and the Michigan Wolverines. They're are the 2024 National Championship winners.

The 2024 College Football Playoff National Championship took place on Monday (Jan. 8), and it made for a late night. These are the days when I miss coffee. The game had No. 1 Michigan going up against No. 2 Washington at NRG Stadium in Houston. Michigan's win marked their first national title since back in 1997. As for Washington, if they had won this game, it would have marked their first national title since 1991. Michigan got to the National Championship thanks to a close 27-20 overtime win over No. 4 Alabama in the Rose Bowl semifinal. Washington got to this national title game following a 37-31 win over No. 3 Texas in the Sugar Bowl.

Now that's we've gone through the numbers, let's get into some of the best moments from this game. This showing is something Wolverine fans are going to want to savor for a long time. I don't blame them. Maybe with Michigan State's new head coach, we'll get some moments like this coming up.

ESPN College Football has this great highlight video up. They say, "Sam Ravech, Skubie Mageza and Matt Simms reflect of the biggest moments from the Washington Huskies and Michigan Wolverines that propelled them to the College Football Playoff National Championship Game."

Here's another great highlight reel from ESPN College Football's verified account. They state, "Check out these highlights from the 2024 College Football Playoff National Championship, where the No. 1 Michigan Wolverines defeat the No. 2 Washington Huskies to win their first national title since 1997."

The Big Ten Network has this comprehensive video about the game. This includes postgame reaction, interviews and more. Get your popcorn out!

This is the moment when Jim Harbaugh and the team took the field. They look pretty amped up. I think they had a good feeling about the game. Duh.

ESPN College Football says, "J.J. McCarthy DIMED Roman Wilson." Check out some video action of the play below. Wow.

Here's a cute one. Sports Center shared this tweet with the Harbaugh brothers hugging and sharing a happy moment. Maybe this will repeat at the Super Bowl with the Ravens.

The Michigan Wolverines took to socials to celebrate. This is a very cool graphic. Congrats!