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Nick Saban had to answer to a lot of folks following a controversial College Football Playoff decision on Sunday. Many of those questions came from an unexpected source.
Saban’s phone number was reportedly leaked to the public resulting in a number of angry calls from the Florida State faithful.
Tide Illustrated’s Tony Tsoukalas says Saban dropped the tidbit at Sunday’s Alabama team awards banquet.
“I’ve had probably over 250 anonymous callers today, calling me every name in the book, talking about how we shouldn’t be in the playoff,” Saban told his players.
“We still have naysayers out there. We still have players who don’t believe in us. Most of these people are from Florida. I don’t know how in the hell they got my number, but it is out there.”
Nick Saban was hounded by anonymous callers after his number was leaked following Alabama’s playoff berth.
🗣️“I’ve had probably over 250 anonymous callers today, calling me every name in the book, talking about how we shouldn’t be in the playoff.”https://t.co/vSz9K7OcMV
— Tony Tsoukalas (@Tony_Tsoukalas) December 4, 2023
The criticism comes after the Crimson Tide hopped Florida State for the fourth and final playoff spot, effectively making the Seminoles the first undefeated Power Five champion to be left out of the CFP in its history.
While Alabama now owns the most impressive win of the season following a 27-24 victory over No. 1 Georgia in the SEC title game, they also have one loss.
Many believed the three undefeated teams to be shoo-ins, but the committee ultimately decided that both Alabama and Texas were more deserving of a spot given a season-ending injury to Florida State starting quarterback Jordan Travis.
The decision sparked an online eruption from college football fans and media, while also moving Florida lawmakers to explore potential legal action.
Some have gone as far as to accuse the committee of colluding against the ‘Noles, believing there’s a vested interest in having the Crimson Tide in the playoff field. Whether there is evidence to support those claims remains to be seen.
What is known is that FSU is now on the wrong side of history. Instead of competing for a national championship, they’ll play in the Orange Bowl against Georgia (unless they choose to boycott!).
As for Nick Saban, he’ll probably have more than phone calls to answer to if Alabama loses in the first round of the College Football Playoff. Of course, he also has the opportunity to prove the committee right by winning the whole thing.