No crown comes without criticism, not even for Nick Saban. The former Alabama Crimson Tide head coach caught heat throughout the 2025 season for leaning SEC-heavy. The dust has settled, the verdict is in, and Saban didn’t crack the list of least-biased media voices.

“The following individuals registered only a single-digit bias score for any specific conference. Consider this the list of people in college football media who fans perceive as the most objective,” Awful Announcing dropped its 2025 college football media bias rankings on December 24. 

13 analysts on Awful Announcing came up with the least biased list. Some of them are ESPN’s Pat McAfee, On3’s Ari Wasserman, CBS’ Rick Neuheisel, FOX’s Tim Brando, among others. Unfortunately, Saban could not find himself a place in the group of thirteen. 

As per Awful Announcing reports, the GOAT’s report card states +71 SEC bias. Saban’s move to College GameDay has largely been a hit, but his deep SEC roots haven’t gone unnoticed. While a small chunk of voters saw no bias, most felt Saban leaned heavily toward the league. Somehow, Saban’s 7x national title hangover loomed. 

Brought in for his unmatched coaching insight, that level of perceived bias may be more than ESPN bargained for. Saban’s score suggests plenty of fans are listening with a healthy dose of skepticism. So, how did Awful Announcing come up with the results?

Voters were surveyed in early December to rank 40 nationally recognized college football voices. Candidates had to hold a national platform, and bias was measured in two ways: the share of voters who saw no noticeable bias and whether an individual’s votes were evenly spread across conferences or tilted heavily toward one. 

Now that the final report card is here, where does Saban rank? Only two analysts are before him- ESPN’s Paul Finebaum with +97 SEC bias and Barstool Sports’ Dave Portnoy with +74 Big Ten bias.  

Saban’s SEC tilt showed up early and often. Six weeks into the season, he went on The Pat McAfee Show in October and declared the conference’s depth far superior to the Big Ten’s.

“I don’t think the Big Ten is really that deep,” Saban kept things straight. “I think Illinois has a pretty decent team. It’s not like the SEC, where you’ve got eight or nine teams that can beat you. Think there are three or four teams in the Big Ten that can beat you.”

Things got spicy when Desmond Howard suggested the SEC had morphed into a basketball league, while the Big Ten now runs college football. Broadcasting from Atlanta ahead of the SEC Championship between No. 3 Georgia and No. 9 Alabama, Howard didn’t hold back. It drew a backlash from the SEC-heavy crowd, and finally, Sabam clapped back. 

“You obviously didn’t see Caleb Downs explaining the difference between playing in the SEC and the Big Ten,” Saban responded. “Obviously.”

After earning SEC Freshman of the Year and All-American honors with the Crimson Tide, Caleb Downs made the jump to the Big Ten for 2024. He didn’t shy away from saying that the SEC remains the tougher gauntlet. Here came another analyst to rub some more salt in Saban’s fresh wounds.

Nick Saban is in the crosshairs after the results

Brando, unlike Saban, landed on the low-bias list and wasted no time tossing subtle shade on X.

“On the journey, ya do what ya have to in maintaining a higher profile,” wrote the analyst. “It’s not as if I don’t give opinions, just follow me, and ya know that, but I was made aware of this @awfulannouncing Bias poll today, and when I saw this result from their readers, I was happily surprised.”

Long before the Awful Announcing results dropped, Saban was already in the hot seat. Big voices across the conferences have been pushing for a College Football commissioner, with Lane Kiffin, James Franklin, and even McAfee naming Saban as the ideal pick. 

Top Stories

Chaotic Brawl Breaks Out at Tulsa Shootout After Teen Flips Off Rival Driver

Why Does Troy Aikman Wear a Ring on His Middle Finger? All You Need to Know

LIV Golf Braces for Another Possible Exit in Wake of Brooks Koepka Departure

Kyrie Irving Breaks Silence After Injury Return Update Emerges

Where Is Reina Tellez From? Nationality, Ethnicity, and Religion of Amanda Serrano’s Opponent

Cowboys CEO Stephen Jones Sharply Criticizes Matt Eberflus After Coach’s Concerning Admission

But just as the hype was peaking, Shaun King came in and threw a cold splash of reality on the parade.

“Knowing all of the top 25 head coaches that I know over the course of the last 20 years, Boise State and them kinds of schools will never get in the CFP again if one of them was a commissioner. If Saban was in the chair, South Carolina, Alabama [and] Ole Miss all would have been in the 12. Trust me,” said King. 

As he struggled with the unbiased rankings, he’s hitting new heights off the field. The GOAT sealed the deal on the $1.6B Nashville Predators franchise.

Even though Saban has been called out for SEC bias, he got big credit from Big Ten head coach Curt Cignetti. 

“I learned a lot from Coach Saban in terms of organization, standards, and stocking complacency. I wouldn’t be where I am today without my time under Nick,” the Indiana Hoosiers head coach said before the CFP clash.

Now it’s on Saban to see how he shakes the SEC-bias label going forward.