re: Hypothetical regarding Saban coaching at small university in his prime

Saban couldnt do it at Michigan state. It takes a university that can and will buy into the program. A big part of Saban's success at LSU was because of facility upgrades and starting to pay assistant coaches. LSU had skimped on that in the past.

Saban first job was Toledo
He stayed all of one year

Almost zero chance

They’d have needed a hell of a non-conference schedule to make up for the weak conference schedule. Even if they went undefeated, SoS would have been their downfall in the BCS system for sure. Maybe they sneak into a 4 team CFP field if they went undefeated with a couple of quality non-conference games and looked dominant in every game.

All the issues I can think of that would prevent him from winning a title at a place like La Tech

1. Would need to schedule 2 or 3 non-conference games vs top 25 caliber teams. Those kind of teams don’t usuallt agree to home and home series with G5 schools, so you’d probably have to win all of those games on the road

2. Lack of revenue for top of the line facilities that major programs have that’ll help attract recruits. This was a huge recruiting tool before NIL

3. Not enough highly rated recruits willing to go play at a small school when they have offers from major programs. Who wants to play in a 30k capacity stadium when you have offers from SEC schools that’ll have you on national TV weekly and playing to a crowd of 90-100k fans?

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I bet Saban could have in that era at a place like Ga Tech or a program on that level.

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i doubt that too. Despite being the best of all time to ever do it, people seem to gloss over the fact that the vast majority of his success came at the #1 football program of all time. It was a perfect marriage.

Even his other title was won at a Big 6 football power at LSU. However, that was the only time in 5 years there he even finished in the top 5.

Even at alabama he went undefeated "only" (I realize that's funny to say) twice. At bama. Now imagine him at somewhere like ga tech or oregon state or something. Not only would he not recreate the recruiting there he is used to, but the margin for error would be razor thin.

He would absolutely without a shadow of a doubt have improved whatever school he was at, becuase he is the best ever. But it's foolish to think that he could step into some tier 3 program and just win natties.