"There’s good and bad in their circumstances": Nick Saban sees Notre Dame cracking the 2024 CFP, citing strong ranking and elite offensive leadership

Former Alabama coach Nick Saban has high hopes for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish this upcoming season. After 17 seasons with the program, Saban announced his retirement earlier this year. With Alabama now gearing up for a new era under Kalen DeBoer, Saban will be taking up a profession in the broadcasting world.

During an appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show," Saban discussed Notre Dame's chances of securing a berth in the new 12-team playoff format. He believes in their potential to be one of the top 12 teams this season.

Saban said:

"I don't really feel like Notre Dame — there's good and bad in their circumstances — they can never be one of the top four teams because they can't be a conference champ. But they don't have to play a conference championship game either, so they have a built-in bye before the playoffs even start.

"Because of their schedule, I think they have a good chance to be one of the top 12 teams in the country. I think they will get in the playoff. I think what they need to work toward is being 5-8 so they have a home game."

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish will enter their third campaign under coach Marcus Freeman. Last season, he led them to a 10-3 overall campaign and a Sun Bowl victory over Oregon State. They also ranked No. 7 in the Preseason AP Top 25 poll ahead of Michigan and LSU.

The Fighting Irish, who last won a natty in 1988, will begin the season with a Week 1 showdown against the Texas A&M Aggies. They then have two more games down the road against ranked teams Florida State and USC.

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Nick Saban opens up about changes in his profession after retirement

On "The Pat McAfee Show," Nick Saban also talked about how being an analyst was different from being a head coach of a college team. He talked about how he does not have to worry about the outcomes and game plans now.

He also spoke about the importance of the college football season's first game and how it could decide the outcome of a team's campaign.

"Well, it's very different. It's great to have the opportunity to see games, to be a part of football, to prepare for games. But this is the moment of truth for every college football team. When you play your first game you're always worried about, 'How's the quarterback going to play? How's the defense going to play? What are our issues? What are our problems? What do we need to fix?' And I don't have to worry about that right now," Saban said.

Saban successfully led the Crimson Tide to six national championships during his 17-season stint in Tuscaloosa. It will be interesting to see if Kalen DeBoer can continue the legacy Saban built over the years.