Nick Saban's Bold Prediction for Georgia Tech in the ACC: Is He Right?

Following a legendary coaching career, Nick Saban has embarked on his next career path. Broadcasting. Saban is the newest addition to the ESPN College GameDay crew, as he made his debut with the team in Ireland ahead of the opening day matchup between Florida State and Georgia Tech.

Of course, one of the headliners of the weekly broadcast is their picks for the upcoming games, as Saban's first challenge was to predict the winner of Thursday night's game between the UNC football program and Minnesota.

Saban predicted that the UNC football program will win their season opener on the road. Here's what the legendary college football coach had to say regarding his pick.

"I like North Carolina. I just think Mack Brown has done a really good job there for a long time, does a good job of recruiting. I know they have some key players to replace, including the quarterback, but I just like North Carolina. I think the speed will be the difference."

Now, the rest of the panel seems to have varying opinions on this game. Desmond Howard, Pat McAfee and celebrity guest picker Irish WWE superstar Sheamus all sided with the Gophers. Kirk Herbstreit made a rather interesting and bold prediction, as he not only sided with the UNC football program but believes they'll be unbeaten heading into their clash with Florida State on November 2. Let's pump the brakes there a bit, Kirk, there's a lot of football to be played before then.

College football fans across the country can now celebrate, because the season is finally upon us. Florida State and Georgia Tech officially kicked off the season earlier Saturday, playing in Dublin, Ireland as part of the Aer Lingus Classic. With this being Week Zero's marquee matchup, the College GameDay crew traveled across the pond.

Who would've guessed our North Carolina Tar Heels, who don't take the field until Thursday, Aug. 29 at the Minnesota Golden Gophers, were one of the first teams mentioned on GameDay?

UNC's mention came from the GameDay crew's Week 1 picks. There's one new crew member you might recognize: longtime Alabama coach Nick Saban.

If you haven't guessed the correlation between Saban and North Carolina by now, Saban made North Carolina his first-ever GameDay pick. This is a pretty major kudos coming from the best to ever coach college football. The Tar Heels will be playing Minnesota for a second consecutive season. Last year, UNC won 31-13 behind a 400-yard passing game from Drake Maye.

Nick Saban makes the first pick of his College GameDay career. He chooses UNC to beat Minnesota.

— Grant Hughes (@GrantHughesNC) August 24, 2024

Saban was a college football head coach for 27 years, starting at Toledo then making stops at Michigan State, LSU and – most famously – Alabama. Surprisingly, Saban never coached against the Tar Heels. Regardless of how UNC plays in 2024, it's nice knowing the greatest coach in college football picked them to win an expectedly tough road game.

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.

This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire : Coaching legend's first College GameDay pick involves UNC game

NickSchultz_7

In 2016, after 10 years on the staff at UCF, Brent Key got a job offer from Nick Saban. He ended up spending three seasons as Alabama’s offensive line coach before heading to Georgia Tech, where he eventually became a head coach for the first time. But Key stayed in touch with Saban, and the two had the chance to reconnect this week. Georgia Tech is taking on Florida State in Ireland to kick off the 2024 season, and Saban – now retired – is there as part of ESPN’s College GameDay crew. He attended practice in Dublin, as well, and got a first-hand look at Key’s Yellow Jackets program.

CLICK HERE to go to PrizePicks and use code ON3 to receive a guaranteed $50 once you play $5 in lineups!

In fact, Saban probably saw some similarities to what he did at Alabama. That’s the type of impact Key said the GOAT had on him during his career.

Watch College Football Games Live -Try for Free Fubo! Click HERE NOW

“It’s really cool for him to be here, for him to see this next chapter of his life,” Key said. “I think everyone’s excited to see that and what the value he’ll be able to bring to the network and to game day. On a personal level, he’s been a huge mentor to me.

“He’s been a huge impact in my coaching career and a lot of the things I do day-to-day now as a head coach and a lot of the things in our program. There’s a very, very strong influence from him all over the Georgia Tech football program. So to be able to see him, talk to him, catch up on some other things and talk a little football as well is the greatest thing.”

Key became the interim head coach at Georgia Tech in 2022 following the departure of Geoff Collins, and his 4-4 record was enough for the school to give him the full-time job. In 2023, the Yellow Jackets went 7-6, including a Gasparilla Bowl victory.

They now return all key pieces of their offense. Quarterback Haynes King is back in the fold, as are his top two receivers from a year ago – Eric Singleton and Malik Rutherford – and last season’s leading rusher, Jamal Haynes. They’ll all have a chance to take a leap forward this year, starting with Saturday’s opener. Kickoff between Georgia Tech and Florida State is set for Noon ET on ESPN from Dublin.

Florida State begins the 2024 season in less than 24 hours. The Seminoles play Georgia Tech in Dublin, Ireland, at noon ET. Seven-time national champion head coach Nick Saban believes another good season is in store for the 'Noles. Despite losing plenty of NFL draft talent, Saban believes in the work Mike Norvell and his staff did in the portal this offseason.

After attending FSU's practice today, Saban was on the Pat McAfee Show to discuss the beginning of the season. He spoke highly of Florida State when asked about the matchup with Georgia Tech.

"Florida State to me, has one of the best five probably personnel-wise teams in the country," Saban said, "The way they've been able to reload through the portal, as well as having good recruiting and good young players coming up the program that they've developed. So I think they're one of the best teams in the country."

He added that on the field, FSU is a 'very physical, good-looking team.'

Florida State took five transfers from Alabama this past offseason. RB Roydell Williams and WR Malik Benson were both listed as starters on the Seminoles' depth chart for the season-opener. OL TJ Fergurson is listed as a co-starter with Keiondre Jones at right guard and DB Earl Little Jr. is listed as a co-starter with Kevin Knowles II. LB Shawn Murphy was not listed on the depth chart.

Saban also praised the Yellow Jackets and expects the game to be competitive. He said, "I really think Georgia Tech's one of the sleepers in the ACC. Last year, they were in the top three in almost every offensive category, they just needed to improve their defense for this year because they have a lot of those players coming back. So I think they're going to be very, very competitive and have a great chance to be one of the teams that have the factor into the ACC for who wins the conference."

You can view Saban's interview on the McAfee show above, with his answer about FSU and Georgia Tech beginning at the 24:30 mark. He will join McAfee on the College GameDay set this season, which will have its first international show tomorrow.

Nick Saban is still getting accustomed to his new gig as a college football analyst for ESPN, but he dropped what might count as a bold take on Saturday's episode of College Gameday.

The former Alabama head coach tabbed Georgia Tech as a "sleeper" in ACC this season.

Nick Saban has Georgia Tech as a "sleeper pick" in the ACC this year 👀#CollegeGameDay pic.twitter.com/JlWNvraFib

It's not exactly like a Stephen A. Smith-style proclamation to say a team could be feisty, but Saban is still getting his media legs underneath him.

Saban did lay out a rational argument for why the Yellow Jackets could be a surprise team. He cited their offense being a top-three unit in the conference last season before explaining that new defensive coordinator Tyler Santucci and incoming transfers could lead to improved results on that side of the ball.

Georgia Tech finished 7-6 last season with a defense that ranked 97th out of 133 FBS teams in points allowed per game (29.5). Santucci joined head coach Brent Key's staff after spending last season at Duke as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach.

The Blue Devils ranked 17th in points allowed per game last season (19.0). They held opponents to fewer than 20 points in seven of 13 games, including Clemson in a 28-7 season-opening victory.

Competition in the ACC figures to be even more difficult this year with California, SMU and Stanford joining the conference. Georgia Tech finished fourth in the ACC last year with a 5-3 record in conference play.

Georgia Tech's 7-6 record in 2023 marked the program's first winning season since 2018 (7-6). The program hasn't won at least 10 games in a season since going 11-2 in 2014 and lost to Florida State in the ACC Championship Game.

The Yellow Jackets have an opportunity to make Saban look smart on Saturday. They are taking on Florida State—ranked No. 10 in the Associated Press Preseason Top 25 poll—at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland. Credit: TNS

Credit: TNS

On ESPN College Gameday in Ireland, former Alabama coach Nick Saban called Georgia Tech his ‘sleeper’ pick of the ACC.

Saban, who joined the College Gameday crew after retiring from coaching, said: “My sleeper though is Georgia Tech. They were in the top three offensively last year in the ACC. They were not very good on defense. They’ve got a new defensive coordinator, they got some players out of the portal. If they can play defense a little bit better, they give people tremendous headaches.”

Georgia Tech plays Florida State in Dublin today in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic. FSU is a 10.5-point favorite in the matchup.

Nick Saban has Georgia Tech as a "sleeper pick" in the ACC this year 👀#CollegeGameDay pic.twitter.com/JlWNvraFib

Credit: Ken Sugiura

Credit: AP

About the Author

Credit: AP

Credit: Chad Bishop

Credit: AP

Credit: Curtis Compton / Curtis.Compton@

Credit: AP

Credit: Joe Kovac Jr.

BY STEVE STOLZE
[email protected]

BY SHANNON MUMM
[email protected]

BY JIM LEITNER
[email protected]

The Associated Press

BY AVERY HILL The Associated Press

ESPN commentators Nick Saban (right) and Greg McElroy speak during the Southeastern Conference media days on July 17 in Dallas. Saban is entering his first season as an analyst after winning seven titles as a coach.

A new era has arrived in college football, with some of the most recognizable programs in history now playing in different leagues.

The postseason is different, too. The College Football Playoff expands from four to 12 teams, changing the calculus of the championship chase.

There’s also change for some of the game’s biggest names.

Jim Harbaugh won a national championship at Michigan, his alma mater, and returned to the NFL. Nick Saban retired from coaching with a record seven national titles and becomes an analyst on ESPN’s “College GameDay” show. The prolific Dillon Gabriel takes his big arm to his third school, Oregon, for his sixth and final season.

Fans’ biggest challenge will be remembering which teams are in which conferences. Save for the SEC, the era of coast-to-coast conferences is upon us.

What’s sure to be a wild ride takes off Aug. 24 with four Week Zero games headlined by No. 10 Florida State against Georgia Tech in Dublin, Ireland.

Conference realignment — The fall of the Pac-12 caused the conference map to be revamped.

First, Southern California and UCLA decided to defect to the Big Ten and then Oregon and Washington bolted to make it an 18-team conference.

Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah are now in a 16-team Big 12.Stanford and California and former American Athletic Conference member SMU are in now in a 17-team Atlantic Coast Conference.

Pac-12 holdovers Oregon State and Washington State have a scheduling agreement with the Mountain West. All MWC teams will play a game against one or the other.

Texas and Oklahoma begin their long-awaited first year in the Southeastern Conference.

Army goes from being an independent to a football-only member of the AAC, replacing SMU, and Kennesaw State is in Conference USA after moving up from the Football Championship Subdivision.

College Football Playoff — The expanded playoff will be spread over a month beginning Dec. 20-21 and could require the last two teams standing to play an unprecedented 17 games.

The 12 playoff teams will be the five conference champions ranked highest by the CFP selection committee, plus the next seven highest-ranked teams.

The four highest-ranked conference champions will be seeded one through four and receive first-round byes. The fifth conference champion will be seeded where it was ranked or at No. 12 if it is outside the top 12.

Seeds 5 through 12 will play first-round games at the higher-seeded team’s stadium or venue it designates. Winners advance to quarterfinals played at bowl sites against the four highest-ranked conference champions. The highest seed will receive preferential placement for the semifinals, which will be hosted by the Orange and Cotton Bowl.

The championship game is Jan. 20 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, easily the latest it has ever been held.

Georgia is preseason No. 1 — Georgia is No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 preseason poll for the second straight year. The Bulldogs return a Heisman Trophy candidate in quarterback Carson Beck and, according to BetMGM Sportsbook, are the favorites to win the national title, at 3-1.

No. 2 Ohio State and No. 3 Oregon are the top two teams from the Big Ten in the preseason Top 25, and the SEC’s Texas and Alabama are Nos. 4 and 5.

Coach is in your ear — Football Bowl Subdivision teams will have the option to use coach-to-player communication through the helmet of one player on the field. That player will be identified by having a green dot on the back midline of his helmet. Communication will be turned off with 15 seconds left on the play clock or when the ball is snapped, whichever comes first.

For all three NCAA divisions, teams have the option of using tablets to view in-game video only. The video can include the broadcast feed and camera angles from the coach’s sideline and coach’s end zone.

A question for each FBS conference

ACC: Can Clemson, coming off its first four-loss season since 2011, ride the momentum of a 5-0 finish in 2023 and challenge Florida State?

Big Ten: Where does Michigan fit in? The Wolverines, at No. 9, have the lowest preseason ranking for a defending national champion since 2011.

Big 12: Can Deion Sanders, after losing eight of nine to end his first season, get Colorado to a bowl in its first year back in the conference?

SEC: Will Texas, with its highest preseason ranking since 2009, really challenge for a conference title in its first year in a much more rugged league?

AAC: Will Seth Henigan-led Memphis hold off UTSA and Tulane for its first league title since 2019?

Conference USA: Is Liberty, which went 13-1 with its prodigious offense and just-OK defense, the real deal?

Mid-American: Can Miami stop Toledo from winning a third straight league title?

Mountain West: Does preseason favorite Boise State earn the Group of Five’s automatic playoff bid?

Sun Belt: How will James Madison, 11-2 last season, fare without Curt Cignetti and a number of top players who joined him at Indiana?