Nick Saban wants to see Power 5 schools play a minimum of 10 games a year against other Power 5 opponents. And Alabama is working to make that happen in the future.
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Nick Saban wants to see Power 5 schools play a minimum of 10 games a year against other Power 5 opponents.
And according to ESPN, Alabama is working to make that happen in the future.
The Crimson Tide’s plan would be to play one Power 5 non-conference game as part of a home-and-home series each year, as well as another at a neutral site. That will remain the plan as long as the Southeastern Conference with just eight conference games per season.
“I’ve always said, ‘Let’s play all Power 5 games,’”
Saban told ESPN. “I was in the NFL where we played all the games against NFL teams. But let’s play at least 10 Power 5 games. It would be better for the players, better for the fans, and I think you wouldn’t have to worry that if you lost a game that you wouldn’t have as much of a chance to still be in (the College Football Playoff). They talk about strength of schedule now, but how do you really evaluate that?”
Saban has long been in favor of player nine SEC games and only Power 5 opponents, and Alabama has been known for scheduling -- and dominating -- neutral-site games to open the season. But from 2022 to 2033, the Crimson Tide has shifted its focus to home-and-home matchups. UA has future series scheduled with Texas, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Notre Dame and Oklahoma.
But as ESPN is reportin
g, neutral-site games aren’t going away. Alabama will open the 2019 season against Duke in Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium and will kick off the next two seasons against USC and Miami in Arlington, Texas, and Atlanta, respectively.
According to Chris Low, the Tide is in the process of trying to finalist a neutral-site game with Florida State in Atlanta in 2025.
That would be the first season where Alabama has two Power 5 teams on its non-conference slate, as UA is scheduled to host the Wisconsin Badgers in Tuscaloosa on Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025.
“We’re almost all home-and-home games from here on out and trying to get another one,” Saban said. “You’ve got to make them match up because if you’re playing an away home-and-home game and a neutral-site game in the same season, you don’t have enough home games.”