It almost seems as if Nick Saban was longing for his disposition as the head coach of a blueblood program to end. Just so he can get his takes off in the national media, without a worry of what his perspective would’ve been in his previous capacity. The proverbial shoe is now firmly on the other foot. Saban seemingly has no respite for the programs and their riches.

The flag-planting epidemic ran rampant across rivalry weekend. In the backwash of it all, Nick Saban shared his opinion on the repercussions faced by the perpetrators. Safe to say, he’s not convinced the punishment was enough. Perhaps enough for the crime, but not enough relative to the affluent criminals.

During College GameDay’s build-up to the SEC Championship game, Nick Saban expressed his disdain. But his delivery mechanism was rather hilarious. Saban said, “First of all, I think we need guidelines. But I think to fine these schools $100,000 is like worrying about mouse manure when you’re up to your ears in elephant s–t.”

Saban proceeded to lament the actions that caused the fines in the first place. “I would be more upset with my team trying to plant the flag, because I think that’s disrespectful, and doesn’t show much sportsmanship. You want to defeat the other team, but you know, this disrespect that everybody wants to show is probably not a good part of the game. I think you have to protect the brand. If college football players want to be paid…then they have to do something to protect the brand. The NFL protects their brand. So when you do something like this, that’s bad for the game,” he said.

Although it has become somewhat prevalent recently, flag-planting in enemy territory is not a CFB tradition. Despite some belief otherwise, It is not etched in the history of these fierce rivalry matchups. The practice is a new trend. One of the first and certainly most popular instances of it was in 2017. OU Sooners star Baker Mayfield began what has led to contentious discourse around the CFB landscape. Nick Saban’s views are shared by many but not consensually by everyone.

Nick Saban’s thoughts on flag-planting not reciprocated by fellow CFB savants

The novelty of college football is unique to itself. It doesn’t boast showcasing the best talent in football. That belongs to the NFL. It also doesn’t command the most global reach, which perhaps lies with the NBA. However, college football is still a billion-dollar Goliath. This stems from a plethora of factors. However, perhaps the most prominent one is the passion this sport induces among its fans.

Regionality, sense of community and relatability among CFB fans generate this passion. It can almost edge on tribalism sometimes, but not always in a negative connotation. Flag-planting is perhaps an example of this passion being reciprocated by players. People do want rivalry games to mean more. Although the ensuing brawls were not absolvable, the act of planting a flag after conquering your rival’s terrain has a place in CFB. Joel Klatt, amongst other voices in the media, has echoed this sentiment.

One thing that does not have mixed opinions is the size of the fines bestowed or lack thereof. With the money that now exists in the sport, $100,000 is almost insubstantial. Coming from a figure of Nick Saban’s ilk, his words shall not fall on deaf ears, especially via a platform with as much outreach as GameDay. It will be interesting to see if the act of flag-planting continues next season on, or perhaps even in the CFP.

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