It's been two years since Nick Saban last took the field as a coach, but he still has his hands all over the College Football Playoff, regardless of how it shakes out.
Then-Alabama head coach Nick Saban reacts Jan. 1, 2024, after running back Jase McClellan (2) scored a touchdown during the Rose Bowl CFP NCAA semifinal college football game against Michigan in Pasadena, Calif.
Five of the 12 CFP teams this year are led by a coach who served directly under Saban at one time or another. Four of them are still in the race: Curt Cignetti at No. 1 Indiana, Dan Lanning at No. 5 Oregon, Pete Golding at No. 6 Mississippi, and Mario Cristobal at No. 10 Miami.
"Four for four," Cignetti said. "There's a lot of disciples out there doing well. That's why he's the greatest of all time."
Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti calls a play Jan. 1 during the Rose Bowl College Football Playoff quarterfinal game against Alabama in Pasadena, Calif.
The disciples Cignetti speaks of are some of the most successful in the game. Cignetti and the Hoosiers will face Oregon in the Peach Bowl. Across the country, Cristobal's Miami Hurricanes and Golding's Ole Miss Rebels go head-to-head in the Fiesta Bowl.
Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs were eliminated in the quarterfinals. Lane Kiffin passed the baton to Golding after leading Ole Miss to the playoffs. Brent Key's Georgia Tech team had a historic season and fell just short of the ACC Championship game. Jimbo Fisher stepped away from coaching after a highly decorated career.
Saban's disciples argue it's no coincidence.
"Everybody learned a lot from Nick," said Cignetti, who was Saban's initial receivers coach and recruiting coordinator at Alabama. "He was a great mentor, very organized, detailed; had a plan for everything. Managed lead, how to stop complacency, game day, recruiting, recruiting evaluation, player evaluation. I mean, he had it all. And if you were serious about your career and wanted to be a head coach one day, you took great notes or great mental notes."
Oregon head coach Dan Lanning, second left, celebrates Jan. 1 with quarterback Dante Moore (5), defensive back Brandon Finney Jr. (4), and defensive lineman Bear Alexander after defeating Texas Tech in the Orange Bowl College Football Playoff quarterfinal game in Miami Gardens, Fla.
Lanning saw the value in learning under Saban from afar. He took a gamble, leaving behind a full-time position at Sam Houston State and taking a pay cut to accept a graduate assistant role with Alabama.
"When anybody asked me why, I said, 'I'm going to get my doctorate in football,'" Lanning said. "Working for Coach Saban, just like Coach (Cignetti) said, you learn so much. Things I thought I knew, I realized I didn't know anything. I got to really carry that over with the opportunity to work with Coach Smart, who built off of that as well at Georgia. And that was an unbelievable experience for me, and obviously it shows here as we enter the semifinals."
Miami head coach Mario Cristobal, right, and Ohio State head coach Ryan Day talk Dec. 31 after the Cotton Bowl College Football Playoff quarterfinal game in Arlington, Texas.
Similar sentiments are being echoed in Arizona, as Ole Miss and Miami prepare for the Fiesta Bowl.
Golding and Cristobal narrowly missed each other in Tuscaloosa. Cristobal was Saban's offensive line coach from 2013-16. Golding led the Crimson Tide defense for five years, from 2018-22.
Cristobal says his time in Tuscaloosa opened his eyes to what college football has become and what's necessary to run a successful program. But above all else, he adapted Saban's mentality, and keeping that alive will always be a top priority for him as a coach.
Mississippi head coach Pete Golding runs on the field at halftime Jan. 1 during the Sugar Bowl NCAA college football playoff quarterfinal game against Georgia in New Orleans.
Golding doubled down. In an era where the life of a college football player can be luxurious, keeping the traditional hard-nosed spirit of college football, embodied by Saban for 17 years at Alabama, is key.
"There's a toughness component, a competitive character component to hold these guys accountable and hold them to a high standard," Golding said. "I think that's pretty consistent with whoever is playing right now."
12 super football movies: from 'North Dallas Forty' to 'Rudy'
1. 'North Dallas Forty'
Updated
Nick Nolte is wide receiver Phillip Elliott in 1979's "North Dallas Forty," ranked No. 1 on Tribune News Service's list of the 11 best football movies. It was directed by Ted Kotcheff and includes Mac Davis and former Oakland Raider John Matuszak in the story of the North Dallas Bulls, a team modeled after the Dallas Cowboys.
2. 'The Longest Yard'
Updated
Burt Reynolds stars as quarterback Paul Crewe, thrown into prison in 1974's "The Longest Yard." Robert Aldrich directed the story about a group of prisoners taking on the guards on the football field. Eddie Albert played the evil warden.
3. 'Rudy'
Updated
Sean Astin stars as the Notre Dame football underdog in 1993's "Rudy." David Anspaugh directed the story of walk-on Rudy Ruettiger's time with the Fighting Irish. The cast included future stars Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau.
4. 'Friday Night Lights'
Updated
Peter Berg directed 2004's "Friday Night Lights," based on H.G. "Buzz" Bissinger's 1988 book about the Permian High School team in Odessa, Texas. Billy Bob Thornton played coach Gary Gaines.
5. 'Heaven Can Wait'
Updated
Warren Beatty stars as Joe Pendleton, a backup quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams who is summoned to heaven before his time, in the romantic fantasy movie "Heaven Can Wait." Beatty co-directed the 1978 romantic comedy with Buck Henry and co-starred with Julie Christie, James Mason, Dyan Cannon, Jack Warden and Charles Grodin.
6. 'Jerry Maguire'
Updated
Tom Cruise stars as the title character, a sports agent, in 1996's "Jerry Maguire." Cameron Crowe directed the blend of a romance and a sports story. The film co-starred Renee Zellweger and Cuba Gooding Jr. and spawned the catchphrase "Show me the money!" shouted by Gooding's character, wide receiver Rod Tidwell.
7. 'Horse Feathers'
Updated
The Marx Brothers take the field in 1932's "Horse Feathers." Norman Z. McLeod directed this college-based comedy that features Groucho as headmaster Quincy Adams Wagstaff, who tries to recruit a couple of ringers for the football team but winds up with Harpo and Chico.
8. 'Number One'
Updated
The offensive line of the New Orleans Saints awaits the call of quarterback Ron Catlan, played by Charlton Heston, in 1969's "Number One." Tom Gries directed the story of an aging quarterback who doesn't know when to hang it up. Jessica Walter played his wife, with Diana Muldaur as his mistress.
9. 'Paper Lion'
Updated
Alan Alda puts on his football gear for a practice session with the Detroit Lions in 1968's "Paper Lion." Alex March directed the story from the real-life adventures of George Plimpton, who spent a training camp and preseason scrimmage with the Lions. NFL stars Alex Karras and Roger Brown played themselves.
10. 'Brian's Song'
Updated
Gale Sayers (Billy Dee Williams) comforts Brian Piccolo (James Caan) in 1971's "Brian's Song." Buzz Kulic directed the true-life story about the friendship between Sayers and Piccolo, who died at age 26.
11. 'Any Given Sunday'
Updated
Al Pacino is Miami Sharks coach Tony D'Amato and Cameron Diaz is the team owner in 1999's "Any Given Sunday." The Oliver Stone drama included Dennis Quaid and Jamie Foxx.
12. 'Concussion'
Updated
Actor Will Smith attends a special screening of "Concussion" in New York in this Dec. 16, 2015, file photo. In the film Smith portrays Dr. Bennet Omalu, a forensic pathologist who fights against the National Football League over his research on chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) brain degeneration suffered by professional football players.
