Former Georgia RB James Cook drops verdict on why Nick Saban’s Alabama made it to the playoffs - “They knew he was retiring”

Former Georgia Bulldogs running back James Cook made a bold claim about the College Football Playoff (CFP) committee and the legendary coach Nick Saban. Cook stated that the committee was aware of Nick Saban's impending retirement, hinting that this was the reason the committee chose Alabama for the playoffs.

Cook was part of the 2021 Georgia Bulldogs team that won the national title by defeating Alabama in the championship game. The Bulldogs ended a 40-plus-year championship drought for their program.

Cook believes that Georgia was unfairly denied a chance to compete for three consecutive national titles. According to him, the CFP committee intentionally kept Georgia out of the playoffs in a year when they were strong contenders.

“We were supposed to be in [the playoffs] this year. If Georgia is in the playoffs this year, we win it all. And I think they didn’t want to see us go back-to-back-to-back,” Cook told USA Today Sports.

Cook points out that Georgia had lost only one game (to Alabama in the SEC Championship) and remained undefeated throughout the rest of the season.

Interestingly, he said that the committee knew legendary Nick Saban was going to retire and wanted to give him one last shot at a title.

"I just feel like they knew Nick Saban was fixing to retire, so they (tried to sneak him in one)," he said.

Saban, the highly successful coach of the Crimson Tide, announced his retirement following the 2023 season after winning six national championships in Alabama.

Former head coach Nick Saban of the Alabama Crimson Tide

The Alabama and CFP Committee's controversial decision for the 2023 national championship?

The controversy started after the CFP committee revealed the top four teams to compete for the national championship in 2023.

These four playoff teams were:

• Michigan (ranked No. 1)
• Washington (ranked No. 2)
• Texas (ranked No. 3)
• Alabama (ranked No. 4)

Michigan and Washington both finished the regular season with perfect 13-0 records. Texas had a 12-1 record, while Alabama and Georgia also stood at 12-1. However, Florida State finished fifth and Georgia sixth in the ranking by the committee.

Jackson Meeks #9 of the Georgia Bulldogs

Notably, Florida State, an undefeated Power Five conference champion, was excluded from the four-team field, creating a dispute over the decision as well.

However, in the semifinals that took place on Jan. 1, Michigan knocked out Alabama with a 27-20 score and ultimately became the CFP national champions.

Notwithstanding, Georgia and Alabama are scheduled to meet in the regular season next September in one of the SEC's much-awaited battles of 2024.