Jan. 2 (UPI) — The 2023-24 campaign was one of the “most amazing seasons in Alabama football history,” coach Nick Saban told reporters after a College Football Playoff semifinal loss to Michigan.
Saban made the comments after the No. 4 Tide lost to No. 1 Michigan in the Rose Bowl Game on Monday in Pasadena, Calif. The Tide held a 29-13 lead with 4:41 remaining before the Wolverines tied the score and won in overtime.
“We just didn’t finish the last 4 minutes of the game like we liked to,” Saban said at his postgame news conference at Rose Bowl Stadium. “We are all very disappointed and the players are disappointed as well.
“But one thing I told them in the locker room after the game was that this was one of the most amazing seasons in Alabama football history, in terms of where this team came from, what they were able to accomplish and what they were able to do. … I’m really really proud of this group.”
Monday’s game marked the Tide’s eighth semifinal appearance in 10 years. They won four national titles in the College Football Playoff era, which started in 2014.
The Tide (12-2), who haven’t lost more than two games in a season since 2010, lost to the Texas Longhorns in their second game of their 2023-24 campaign. That Sept. 9 setback was the earliest ever in a season for a Saban-led team at Alabama.
Alabama then won their next 10, advancing to the Southeastern Conference title game. There, they upset the top-ranked Georgia Bulldogs to advance to the College Football Playoff semifinal.
The Tide did not reach the Top 4 of the College Football Playoff rankings until the final week of the season. They ranked No. 8 in the initial rankings, which were released Oct. 31. They kept that spot in the next four revisions.
“I don’t look at it necessarily from winning and losing or you won the championship, you didn’t win the championship,” Saban said of the 2023-24 season. “As a coach, you are always trying to get your team to improve and be the best they can be.
“I think this team probably improved from the South Florida and Texas game early in the season as much as any team I’ve ever coached. That takes a lot of hard work, a lot of people being very committed to doing things they need to do to self assess and improve their game.
“All these players bought in on this team and did it in first-class fashion. That’s why, I think, it is one of the teams I’ll remember most and be the most proud of.”
The Tide averaged 34 points and 401.2 yards per game this season. They totaled just 288 yards and allowed six sacks in Monday’s loss.
“I just wish I could have done more as a coach to help them be successful, help them finish,” Saban said. “All we can do now is learn from the lessons that sometimes failings bring to us.
The No. 1 Wolverines will face the No. 3 Washington Huskies in the College Football Playoff finale on Monday at NRG Stadium in Houston. That game will air at 7:30 p.m. EST on ESPN.
