"One of the worst moments": When Paul Finebaum recalled Nick Saban saving the day for Alabama

Paul Finebaum has long been among the most respected voices in college football. The long-time analyst began his career covering the Alabama Crimson Tide and appeared in AL.com's 2018 documentary "Turning of the Tide", a three-part series looking back at the 2008 season.

In the first episode of the series, titled "Part 1: The Arrival of Nick Saban", Finebaum discussed how the legendary coach revived the program:

"Mainly, there had just been a series of losers in that job. You go back to post-Gene Stallings, and (they had) Mike DuBose and Dennis Franchione and then Mike Price, Mike Shula.

"It was just a collection of misfits, and, ultimately, the inconsistency of the program led to a malaise, which led to mediocrity. ... Originally, Saban was the first choice, and then he famously said he wasn't taking the Alabama job."

Finebaum added:

"What happened then was really interesting. They offered the job to Rich Rodriguez. Alabama fans were hardly ecstatic, but they agreed he was okay and then when he turned it down, it was truly one of the worst moments I can ever remember in a 30-year career in Alabama.

"It's like nobody wanted this job. ... When Nick Saban finally arrived, it was Elvis, Moses parting the red sea."

Check out Paul Finebaum's comments on Nick Saban below (starting 1:11):

Finebaum recalled claiming that Saban was good enough to win a national title within four seasons before the interviewer questioned if Saban was out of his mind due to how poor the program was before his arrival.

The legendary coach would go on to have one of the greatest runs the sport has ever seen in his 17 years leading the program, leading the Crimson Tide to a 206-29 record and six national titles.

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Lane Kiffin recalls Paul Finebaum's Miley Cyrus comment

Paul Finebaum famously labeled Lane Kiffin as the Miley Cyrus of college football on College GameDay in 2013. The college football analyst claimed that the USC Trojans, who Kiffin coached at the time, should fire him, which they did after a loss later that night.

After leading the Ole Miss Rebels to a 28-10 victory over the then-No. 2-ranked Georgia Bulldogs in Week 11, the coach, on The Paul Finebaum Show, brought up that moment from 11 years prior, claiming:

"You got me fired from USC, and we've said that before. Now, I'm saying, hey, I wouldn't have been here to have the Georgia win if you wouldn't have got me fired at USC, and I wouldn't have worked for Coach Saban, so again, I'm grateful to you, Paul.

"Thanks for that day. Thanks for the Miley Cyrus comment. ... She's still doing pretty well so, again, it really wasn't that big of a shot."

Watch Lane Kiffin's comments on the The Paul Finebaum Show below:

Kiffin has revitalized his career since Finebaum's remarks. The 8-2 Rebels are ranked 11th in the latest rendition of the College Football Playoff rankings and seemingly control their path to the postseason, with two relatively easy opponents on their schedule.