NICK SABAN

Cincinnati is the first outsider to make the College Football Playoff and Alabama is the standard bearer.

The College Football Playoff is set and it is historic: Cincinnati will play Alabama in the Cotton Bowl and Michigan will face Georgia in the Orange Bowl on New Year’s Eve.

Dick Vitale thinks Alabama football coach Nick Saban would be 'a steal' at $500 million in comparisons to other coaches new deals.

A person familiar with negotiations says new Florida coach Billy Napier agreed to a seven-year, $51.8 million contract that makes him the fifth-highest-paid coach in the Southeastern Conference.

Bryce Young stunningly carved up the nation’s best defense, giving Nick Saban and Alabama a shot at another national championship.

Newly hired LSU coach Brian Kelly is in Baton Rouge after flying in on a private jet with athletic director Scott Woodward.

Florida has hired Louisiana-Lafayette's Billy Napier to be its next football coach.

John Metchie caught a scoring pass from Bryce Young in the fourth overtime to give No. 3 Alabama a 24-22 comeback victory over rival Auburn on Saturday, rescuing the Crimson Tide’s national title hopes.

Michigan State is giving Mel Tucker a $95 million, 10-year contract to stay, making an aggressive move to keep a football coach who potentially could have left for LSU or the NFL.

It's rivalry week across the Southeastern Conference, with plenty of stakes beyond bragging rights.

Alabama coach Nick Saban and Georgia’s Kirby Smart continue to make their ability to field elite defenses a big part of their formula for maintaining consistently elite programs in the Southeastern Conference.

Bryce Young passed for 270 yards and five touchdowns, including three to Jameson Williams, and No. 3 Alabama beat New Mexico State 59-3.

Top-ranked Georgia and No. 3 Alabama appear headed for a showdown in the Southeastern Conference championship game.

Here's what Nick Saban said about former Alabama football receiver Henry Ruggs III after his involvement in a fatal car crash in Nevada.

Bryce Young passed for 371 yards and two touchdowns and ran for two more scores, carrying No. 4 Alabama to a 52-24 victory over traditional rival Tennessee.

Bryce Young threw for 348 yards and four touchdowns and No. 5 Alabama rebounded from a loss to rout Mississippi State 49-9 on Saturday night.

Will Anderson Jr. thought a close call against Florida would be “a real eye-opener” for Alabama at the time.

Seth Small made a 28-yard field goal as time expired and Texas A&M stunned top-ranked Alabama 41-38 to end the Crimson Tide’s winning streak at 19 games.

Brian Robinson Jr. rushed for career highs of 171 yards and four touchdowns and No. 1 Alabama mostly throttled the nation’s top offense in a 42-21 victory over No. 12 Mississippi.

Alabama and Georgia, the top-ranked teams in the country and the favorites to win their Southeastern Conference divisions, are preparing to face the league’s biggest early season surprises.

Alabama looked beatable.

Bryce Young’s first collegiate road start was a rousing success, a three-touchdown performance that helped top-ranked Alabama beat No. 11 Florida 31-29 in the Southeastern Conference opener for both teams.

The Southeastern Conference is moving away from early season cupcakes.

Top-ranked Alabama looks very much like a team capable of making another run at a national title.

Alabama is hoping its search for receiver help to complement John Metchie III pays immediate dividends.

Southeastern Conference officials are trying to get back to normal on football game days, with stadiums filled with fans and grills being fired up outside, even in a portion of the country where the states have among the lowest COVID-19 vaccination rates.

New quarterbacks are leading last year's College Football Playoff teams.

"I don't think of age as an issue," the 70-year-old, six-time national champion told The New York Times. "I mean, how old's Nancy Pelosi?"

Fans headed back into stadiums for the start of college football season.

Former NFL star Deion Sanders is eager to put Jackson State on the football map and help raise the profile of historically Black colleges and universities around the nation.

The preseason AP Top 25 college football is out and Alabama will pick up where it left off as No. 1 in the country.

Alabama quarterback Bryce Young has made lucrative deals before starting his first college game, but he doesn’t think that or the preseason hype surrounding him will be a distraction.

The Associated Press preseason college football poll has been released and Alabama is No. 1.

Alabama is No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 preseason college football poll for fourth time in the past six seasons.

An Indonesian man who had tested positive for COVID-19 took a domestic flight on Sunday disguised as his wife, wearing a niqab covering his face and carrying fake IDs and a negative PCR test result.

College football coaches around the country are spending much of the offseason urging their players to get vaccinated against the coronavirus.

If governors can't persuade red state residents to get their shots, maybe football coaches can do the job.

Julio Jones turned 32 in February, missed seven games with a nagging hamstring issue in his 10th NFL season and now finds himself with a new team in the Tennessee Titans.

Alabama coach Nick Saban has agreed to a three-year contract extension running through the 2028 season.

Texas A&M football coach Jimbo Fisher jabbed Alabama coach Nick Saban on Wednesday, claiming the Aggies would defeat Saban's Crimson Tide in 2021.

One of the best linebackers in college football, the top defensive tackles and the consensus best safety available are all still on the board heading into the second day of the NFL draft.

Former Alabama QB Mac Jones will have no problem with Bill Belichick or the culture of the Patriot Way, but don't start all the Tom Brady comparisons.

Saban and Alabama opened spring practice Friday, March 19, 2021l with an immediate goal. For now, they need to find replacements for three of college football's top offensive weapons. Patterson, File)Nick Saban and Alabama opened spring practice Friday with an immediate goal. He also didn't get a spring practice last year because of the pandemic. The Crimson Tide holds its spring game on April 17 and opens the regular season against Miami on Sept. 4 in Atlanta.

The recruiting class that Alabama finalized Wednesday has the highest rating in the history of the 247Sports Composite team rankings, which go back to 2010. Steve Wilfong, the director of recruiting for 247Sports, notes this celebrated Alabama class arrives as most of the Tide’s decorated 2017 class departs. Ad“You’re replacing one of the best recruiting classes ever for what they accomplished with maybe the best recruiting class on paper coming in,” Wiltfong said. While plenty of SEC teams joined Alabama in signing impressive classes, Ohio State stood out from its Big Ten foes. All three were quarterbacks, with Bryce Young enrolling at Alabama, DJ Uiagalelei selecting Clemson and CJ Stroud selecting Ohio State.

FILE - In this Aug. 21, 2020, file photo, Houston Texans coach Bill O'Brien watches during an NFL football training camp in Houston. Alabama has hired former Texans coach O'Brien as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – National champion Alabama has hired former Houston Texans head coach Bill O’Brien as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. O'Brien also served as offensive coordinator for the Nittany Lions and won national coach of the year honors after going 8-4 in 2012. A 28-year coaching veteran and former Brown defensive player, O'Brien was also offensive coordinator at Duke.

(AP Photo/Vasha Hunt, File)AUSTIN, Texas – Fresh off a national title with Alabama, Steve Sarkisian plans big changes to Texas' football program. Sarkisian said that while discussion about "The Eyes of Texas "and other issues are welcome, “'The Eyes of Texas' is our school song. Texas, without a conference championship since 2009, is itching to see if Sarkisian can produce similar results in Austin. Texas expects quick results from Sarkisian, recent winner of the Broyles Award given to college football’s top assistant coach. Asked about scheduling A&M again, Sarkisian said “I would love to play that game.”Sarkisian is Texas’ fourth head coach since 2009.

(AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)Nick Saban wasn’t ready to contemplate his legacy moments after capturing a record seventh national championship “because you’re always looking forward.”It was time to start chasing No. "It’s an ongoing process, building a team," Saban said. Only Florida in the SEC championship game came closer than 15 points. “There’s no team that will ever play an SEC schedule like that.”The 2009 Alabama team that went 14-0 is Saban's only other undefeated group. “I came back to get a degree and to win a national championship,” Smith said.

Dr. Scott Harris, the head of the Alabama Department of Public Health, said he expected more cases of COVID-19 to result from the street party. “It’s disappointing to see people not paying attention to the guidance that we try to give to keep them safe. Students and workers also are required to complete online training about reducing the risk of spreading the illness. More than 5,500 people have died in Alabama from the illness caused by the coronavirus, and about 408,000 have tested positive. People lined up to get into the bars an hour before kickoff despite the warnings, The Tuscaloosa News reported.

(AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – Alabama finished the season No. 1 in the AP Top 25 for the 12th time, extending its record by completing the program’s first perfect season since 2009. With 12 AP titles overall — Paul “Bear” Bryant was coach for five and Gene Stallings for one — Alabama has four more than Notre Dame, in second place with eight. The Big 12 finished with a perfect record in five bowl games. ___Follow Ralph D. Russo at https://twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP and listen at https://westwoodonepodcasts.com/pods/ap-top-25-college-football-podcast/___More AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25___This story has been updated to correct the number of national titles for Alabama to 12, not.

1 Alabama won the College Football Playoff national championship game, 52-24, against No. 7 overall, breaking a tie with Alabama great Paul "Bear" Bryant for the most by a major college coach. Using an array of motions and misdirections, outgoing offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian had Ohio State heads spinning trying to track down Smith. Alabama hardly missed him and cracked 50 early in the fourth quarter when Harris went in untouched from a yard out. Smith and Harris surprised some by returning to college after last season for their senior years.

1 Alabama won the College Football Playoff national championship game, 52-24, against No. 3 Ohio State on Monday night. "To me this is the ultimate team," Saban said. Ohio State (7-1) just couldn't keep up. Doug Murray/Icon Sportswire via Getty ImagesUsing an array of motions and misdirections, outgoing offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian had Ohio State heads spinning trying to track down Smith.

DeVonta Smith was uncoverable, Najee Harris unstoppable and Mac Jones impeccable as the top-ranked Tide won the College Football Playoff national championship game 52-24 against No. 7 overall, breaking a tie with Alabama great Paul “Bear” Bryant for the most by a major college coach. "To me this is the ultimate team,” Saban said. “To me this team accomplished more than almost any team," Saban said. “Heaven knows what he would have done if he played the whole game,” Saban said.

From start to finish, the specter of COVID-19 loomed large over the 2020 college football season and the national championship game was no exception. The game, played in the Miami Dolphins’ stadium, drew the sort of turnout typically found in the fourth quarter of an NFL preseason game. But the challenges college football faced in navigating the pandemic were unique. The Pac-12 and Big Ten postponed their seasons before reversing course, and Ohio State played only eight games. It was a made-for-TV season that ends with an asterisk, and college football now looks toward the 2021 season, which is a big question mark.

Now the question is will he be able to play in the title game Monday night against Ohio State? “I think you absolutely have to prepare as if he's going to play,” Ohio State defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs said. Ohio State President Kristina M. Johnson posted photos on Twitter showing her visiting with coach Ryan Day and the team in the school's indoor practice facility. WEST COAST EXPORTSThe West Coast will be well represented in the national championship game among the players, if not the football programs themselves. Alabama All-America tailback Najee Harris, Ohio State wide receiver Chris Olave and Buckeyes All-America guard Wyatt Davis are all from California.

(AP Photo/Vasha Hunt, File)Steve Sarkisian is the latest Alabama coordinator to be drawing up game plans for a national title showdown before leaving for a new head coaching job. The Longhorns fired Tom Herman and hired Sarkisian eight days before the national championship game Monday night against No. The difference this time is the accelerated time frame from Sarkisian’s hiring to the title game. Alabama beat Oklahoma in the semifinals before a 44-16 loss to Clemson in the national title game. Nearly a month passed from his hiring to the January 2012 title game rematch against LSU, which ’Bama won 21-0.

Ohio State won 49-28. “This team, this program, we persevered through so much,” Ohio State running back Trey Sermon said Monday. In addition to Sarkisian's imminent departure, Alabama has to take care of some Heisman Trophy business while preparing for the matchup with Ohio State. Ohio State (7-0) won that meeting en route to the national title. OHIO STATEOverview: Like many teams, Ohio State faced major obstacles during the pandemic.

Six years later, Ohio State and Alabama meet again, the Tide still rolling and the Buckeyes again looking for an upset. How Fields is feeling will be the main story line heading into the title game. Alabama was the top seed in the first four-team playoff after the 2014 season, but Ohio State beat the Tide 42-35 in the semifinal Sugar Bowl behind Meyer, Ezekiel Elliott and Cardale Jones. That Ohio State even got to play at all was surprising after the Big Ten canceled its fall season in August only to reverse course in September,"With everything this team has been through this last 10 months or so, I’m just so happy for this group of guys,” Ohio State linebacker Tuf Borland said. Alabama opened as a touchdown favorite over Ohio State, riding a prolific offense that features two Heisman Trophy finalists.

(AP Photo/Michael Ainsworth)ARLINGTON, Texas – A truly untraditional Rose Bowl setting, a very common result for Alabama in the College Football Playoff. 4 Notre Dame in a CFP semifinal Rose Bowl played inside about 1,400 miles from Pasadena, California. “I don't think there’s anything quite like the Rose Bowl, the tradition, the setting, the mountains. 3 Ohio State, which beat Clemson 49-28 in the other CFP semifinal at the Sugar Bowl on Friday night. PERFECT AT COWS HOMEAlabama is 5-0 at AT&T Stadium, with a pair of convincing CFP semifinal wins there.

Probably go pick up some food," Notre Dame offensive tackle Liam Eichenberg said. 4 Notre Dame had to go a combined 37-2 on the field and keep the virus at bay. Alabama faces Notre Dame in the relocated Rose Bowl at the home of the Dallas Cowboys in Arlington, Texas. Notre Dame and Ohio State were more cautious, keeping their players on campus over the recent holiday weekend. Notre Dame had a virus outbreak pause its season for about two weeks in late September.

Alabama Crimson Tide head football coach Nick Saban announced Wednesday that he has tested positive for the coronavirus. Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne also announced a positive COVID-19 test. Saban says he "immediately left work and isolated at home" after being informed of his positive test Wednesday afternoon. Saban informed the team of his positive test on a Zoom call Wednesday afternoon. Originally slated to kickoff September 3, the first SEC games were instead played September 26.

Preview: The Perfectionist Armen Keteyian gets to see up close how Nick Saban managed to win three out of the last four national championships for the University of Alabama as he profiles the famous Crimson Tide coach. Watch Keteyian's report on Sunday, Sept. 14 at 7:30 p.m. ET/PT.

60 Minutes, behind the scenes with Alabama's Nick Saban While shooting a profile of University of Alabama coach Nick Saban, a 60 Minutes team was extra diligent: they didn't want to get "Sabaned"