"Mental illness is real": CFB world rips Nick Saban to shreds as he advised Ohio State fans to get "therapy" for obsession with Michigan

Nick Saban once again took a hit at Ohio State fans for their obsession with Michigan in his appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Friday. The former Alabama coach has been critical of the fans' treatment of Ryan Day following the fourth consecutive loss to the Wolverines.

“We’ve kind of gotten on their, sort of, fans a little bit,” Saban said. “But these Ohio State fans? You know, they’ve got a psychotic obsession with Michigan and they need to go get therapy or something to try to get it fixed."

“They have a chance to win the national championship and here you are and nobody’s excited about their opportunity to play because they lost to Michigan, which was a tough game and they lost the game, probably, by some of the mistakes that they made. Those are correctable things," he added.

The comment made by Saban on Friday has generated many reactions among college football fans. Despite Ohio State's performance in the first round of the College Football Playoff against Tennessee, the fans have continued to rave about the loss to Michigan in the season finale.

"Mental illness is real."

"It means more to Ohio state fan," another uttered.

"What Nick Saban doesn’t understand is that the game is the Super Bowl for both Michigan and Ohio," a fan wrote.

Here is a look at more reactions from several fans:

"Saban should do Alabama/Auburn next," another fan wrote.

"Thanks for the advice Alabama Jones!" a user commented.

"Cringe take on so many levels," another user commented.

Nick Saban earlier defended Ryan Day amid criticism

In his appearance on "College GameDay" in Columbus ahead of the first-round game between Ohio State and Tennessee, Nick Saban took time to defend Day amid fans' intense criticism.

Nick Saban addressed the criticism from Ohio State fans directed at Day, urging both Day and his players to tune out the negative commentary as they embark on their playoff campaign.

“I think every coach has got to define how he wants to do it, and I have a lot of respect for Ryan Day and how he’s tried to do it,” Saban said. “For me, I always wanted to get every player in the organization to reach their full potential.

“But a big part of that was insulating the players from external factors, criticism, internet. You know, I used to tell the players all the time, ‘Why do you care about what some guy puts on the internet, who’s a fat guy, in his underwear, living in his mother’s basement?'” he added.

Ohio State faces as much pressure as any team in the playoffs. Following their season-ending loss to Michigan, every game moving forward is a must-win. At their peak, the Buckeyes remain one of the strongest contenders for the national title.