No matter how you spin it, not having Nick Saban on the sidelines will have a profound impact on the game.
What kind of impact it has is yet to be determined, but losing such a leader and football mastermind is a negative for anyone.
But ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit doesn’t believe that losing Saban will have as big of an effect on the team as others. Herbstreit shared that with the head coach still having a presence during this week’s preparation Alabama will still be more than prepared to take on Auburn.
He even compared the loss to Saban to the New England Patriots losing Bill Belichick for a game.
“It reminds me of Bill Belichick,” Herbstreit said on College GameDay. “If you take away Bill Belichick from the Patriots it would impact them during the game because Belichick could probably give you a little tip during the game from something he saw. That part is very, very ready. But in my opinion, having Nick Saban there all week, he checked every box you could possibly think of to get Steve Sarkisian and the entire Alabama staff ready for anything that you might unfold during these 60 minutes.
“My point is if Nick Saban were taken away the whole week, it’d be a totally different thing. But he’s prepared ‘Sark’ and this staff. I don’t think it’s going to impact this game at all.”
Saban originally tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday and had mild symptoms throughout the week.
“I was informed this morning that I had tested positive,” Saban said in a statement. “It was a PCR test, which was different than the false positive I had before.”
During his own appearance on Collge GameDay Saban shared that he is “feeling fine” and his treatment for the virus has gone very well up to this point.
Offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian will be stepping in for the six-time national champion today for the 85th Iron Bowl.
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Patrick Dowd is a Reporter for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can follow him on Twitter, via Pat_Dowd77
