The 10 Greatest College Football Teams Coached by Nick Saban

With Alabama on course to defend its SEC and College Football Playoff titles, where does their 2016 team rank among Nick Saban’s best?

Even before he came to Tuscaloosa, Nick Saban was considered among the best coaches in football. During stops at Toledo, Michigan State, and LSU he built up a reputation as one of the most thorough CEOs to run a college program. While his two years in the NFL with the Miami Dolphins provided mixed results, he has built a resume that puts him among the greatest college coaches of all time.

This year the Crimson Tide is once again a favorite to win the SEC and play in the College Football Playoff. Alabama has made the playoff semifinals each of the first two years, and Saban could tie fellow Tide legend Bear Bryant for the most recognized national titles by a head coach. Saban has earned three BCS championships and a CFP title last year at Alabama to go with the 2003 BCS title he won at LSU.

With Saban taking Alabama to face his former team in Baton Rouge this weekend, now is the perfect time to evaluate the greatest teams of his tenure. To help determine the hierarchy of seasons, we have calculated an adjusted margin of victory for each year that takes into account strength of schedule as a normalizing factor. This isn’t a hard-and-fast calculus, as the eye test also plays a part, but it provides a baseline to help guide our decisions.

So where will the 2016 team stand among Nick Saban’s greatest seasons at the college level? Click through to see our top 10.