Nick Saban's daughter Kristen Saban gets emotional and pens a heartfelt note for Alabama ahead of SEC championship game: "Love these boys so much"

A few weeks ago, it looked unlikely that Nick Saban and his inexperienced Alabama Crimson Tide side would achieve much this season after a limp loss to the Texas Longhorns at home.

The Tide are a few days away from an epic clash against the Georgia Bulldogs in the SEC championship game after winning the SEC West with a game to spare. They also have a chance of claiming a CFP spot. The tide has turned.

Kristen Saban, the coach's daughter, took to Instagram to pen a heartfelt message to the Alabama players, who kept the Tide's hopes of a CFP appearance alive with a last-minute win against the Auburn Tigers.

She captioned the post with the Iron Bowl ending:

"Gah, y'all this team. Something about this team. 16 years here and we've had some amazing moments, but this one pulls at my heart a little extra. Love these boys so much," Kristen Saban wrote.

The Kristen Saban effect

Kristen Saban is part of the furniture at the Bryant-Denny Stadium, and her passion for Alabama has not been lost on any Tide fan over the years.

Nick Saban's daughter, Kristen Saban, has been there every step of the way, regularly reminding Alabama fans of miraculous comebacks in years past when the Tide recovered from disappointing games to win titles.

She has defended her father and encouraged the players with her frequent social media posts celebrating wins and hyping up Bama players.

Enter caption

Is Nick Saban the underdog in the clash against Kirby Smart?

Kirby Smart and Nick Saban worked together for years in Tuscaloosa, even winning a national championship together before Smart left for Athens. Since then, he has reached the level of his mentor.

Two national championships later, Kirby Smart seems to have overtaken the master. His team, the Georgia Bulldogs, are on a 29-match winning streak dating back to the SEC championship game in 2021 against the Crimson Tide.

Nick Saban is a 6.5-point underdog in the conference championship game according to BetMGM, the fourth time in 15 years that the Tide has not been the favorite to win a football game.

Appearing on the "Snaps Podcast," former Georgia great David Pollack reiterated the stance that Smart has surpassed Saban.

“The better coach is clearly Kirby Smart. Clearly,” Pollack said. “Now I have enough evidence. They’re not going to get penalties. They’re not going to turn the football over. They’re not going to beat themselves. What have we seen from Nick Saban and Alabama the past several years? That discipline that we once saw that was elite of elite has eroded. Penalties up, turnovers have been more consistent.”

Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide will likely use those views as fuel to try and beat the phenomenal Bulldogs and secure an unlikely college football playoff spot.