Nick Saban: CFP Ranking ‘Doesn’t Mean Anything’ Right Now [VIDEO]
On Tuesday night, the first College Football Playoff rankings of the season were revealed.
On Wednesday night, Nick Saban was asked what they meant.
His response in short? They're irrelevant right now.
"I don't think the ranking means anything. It doesn't mean anything," Saban said during his weekly Wednesday evening press conference. "All it means is you've created an opportunity to have a chance to finish the season and maybe have an opportunity to play in some other games that are big games."
Alabama checked in at No. 4 in the opening rankings, the final spot in the four-team playoff system and a surprising placement for many considering it put the one-loss Crimson Tide ahead of several currently undefeated teams.
Saban, though, doesn't quite see the purpose of all of it this early on in the season. The final ranking won't be decided until Dec. 6, five weeks after Tuesday's initial ranking. Alabama, for instance, has four regular-season games left, plus a potential SEC Championship Game appearance before then.
"What does it mean? Tell me what it means? Does that mean somebody’s getting in the playoff or they’re not getting in the playoff?" said Saban, who raised his voice at times as he spoke. "It doesn’t mean anything. It doesn’t mean anything. So until the end of the season, I don’t have anything to say about that. I really don’t, because it really doesn’t mean anything other than your team has done well enough to have a chance to create an opportunity for itself, if they can finish the season the right way. It’s what it means."
Clemson, LSU and Ohio State, in that order, filled the top-three positions in Tuesday's rankings. The Crimson Tide (7-1, 4-1 SEC) hosts LSU (7-0, 4-0) this Saturday at 7 p.m. on CBS.
Last season, Alabama was ranked No. 1 heading into the inaugural College Football Playoff, before falling to eventual champion Ohio State in its semifinal game. The rankings are determined by a 13-member committee composed of athletic directors, former coaches and others, though one member, USC athletic director Pat Haden stepped down last Friday due to health reasons.
For Saban's reaction to Alabama's College Football Playoff ranking, watch the above video. For the entirety of his Wednesday press conference, watch the video below.
Also, watch Wednesday's player interviews below, where defensive linemen Jonathan Allen and Jarran Reed are noticeably intense ahead of Saturday's game against LSU.