Don’t let the golf polo and retirement gig mislead you—Nick Saban is still in the middle of the college football maelstrom. And lately, he’s been quite vocal. Fresh off a Sports Emmy win, the 73-year-old is addressing everything from playoff expansion to presidential speculation. The GOAT isn’t just swinging clubs at charity events; he’s subtly, but sharply, taking aim at the direction the sport is headed. Just when many assumed he’d stopped caring, Saban delivered a stark assessment of what the game is losing… and what it might never recover.

When Nick Saban speaks, the room still goes quiet out of respect. And this week, he chose to speak on everything. During his annual “Nick’s Kids” charity tournament, the GOAT-turned-GameDay analyst opened up about the ever-growing College Football Playoff, and let’s just say… retirement made him real reflective.

“Back in the years, I was never for expanding the Playoff because I thought bowl games were really important to the history and tradition of college football,” Saban admitted. “But now that we have expanded the Playoff, now the bowl games have taken a less significant role.” That’s not just nostalgia talk. Saban lived in the playoff era. Alabama made the CFP in 8 of the first 10 years—hoisting the trophy three times. But when the 12-team bracket debuted in 2024, Bama missed the cut. Barely. Ranked No. 11, they were the odd man out. Isn’t that poetic?

So now, here we are: another CFP expansion on the table, possibly moving from 12 to 16 teams as early as 2026. And the commissioners? They’re treating it like a chess match—the Big Ten wants 4 guaranteed spots, SEC too, while the ACC and Big 12 are trying to hang on with 2 each, per Ross Dellenger. Sprinkle in a Group of 6 bid and some wild “inner-league play-in games,” and boom—you’ve got a 16-team monster that feels more like the NFL Wild Card round than college ball.

And guess what? Saban, of all people, is down for it.

“I think expanding the Playoff and having as many teams involved as we can, without playing too many games for the players—that’s a little bit of concern—probably a good thing,” he said. Wait… so Nick Saban, the same man who once defended the sanctity of bowl games like they were ancient scrolls, is now okay watching the Citrus Bowl get turned into background noise? Yeah. And the shift says a lot about how fast this sport’s moving—even the old guards are shifting gears.

Truth is, Saban’s real concern isn’t just the playoff—it’s the players. More teams in the hunt means fewer stars opting out. Less ‘who’s even playing in this bowl’ energy. And in his eyes, that’s a net positive. But there’s a catch. More games mean more wear and tear. And these aren’t robots—they’re teens trying to make the league without blowing out a knee in a December 19th quarterfinal. Still, it’s wild to see the man who ran the system for over a decade publicly calling for changes.

Nick Saban keeps it real about the presidential NIL commission

While the playoff madness got most of the attention, there’s another Saban soundbite that deserves a bigger mic. The NIL rumors? Oh, they exploded this week.

After President Donald Trump spoke at Alabama, word started floating that a potential Presidential NIL Commission was in the works—and that Nick Saban was going to co-chair it. Social media lost its mind. Folks thought Coach Saban was about to throw on a suit and fix college football’s biggest mess from Capitol Hill. But he isn’t buying into the hype.

“I know there’s been a lot of stuff out there about some commission or whatever,” Saban said with a grin. “I don’t think we need a commission….I’ve said that before.” Saban doubled down like a coach at halftime with a lead: the sport doesn’t need another committee—it needs people with backbone.

“I think we need—we know what the issues are. We just have to have people who are willing to move those and solve those and create some solutions for some of those issues,” he continued. “I’m all for being a consultant to anybody who would think that my experience would be beneficial.” Translation? He’s down to advise. He’s down to help. But he’s not here for the photo ops and political handshakes. Nick Saban as the face of the NIL rescue squad? That isn’t happening.

And yet… he might already be in too deep. The man retired, sure—but every time chaos erupts in college football, his name shows up like it’s tattooed on the playbook. You can tell he’s trying to stay in the background, but when you’ve seen both sides of the coin like he has, folks are going to keep dragging you back into the arena. “If I can be a consultant to anyone who might be able to help the future of college athletics, I would be more than happy to do that,” he said.

But don’t miss the subtle message there—Saban’s been clear from the jump: NIL didn’t run him out. But he wasn’t thrilled, either. He’s said it over and over again—he’s pro-player, pro-payment, but not a fan of the who got the biggest bag era. Now, with Congress flirting with intervention and the sport heading toward full-blown salary caps and structured revenue sharing, Saban’s voice might be more necessary than he wants it to be.

Call him “consultant,” call him “co-chair,” call him whatever you want—but in 2025, Nick Saban is still calling plays for the soul of college football.