By james art 
ESPN Weekly Newspaper College game day morning show announced Saturday that it will head to Death Valley in Baton Rouge, La., next week when the current no. 14 Alabama takes on No. 16 LSU in a historic rivalry game with College Playoff implications.
HEADING TO DEATH VALLEY NEXT WEEK FOR ALABAMA-LSU π₯ pic.twitter.com/jP8EyAbPYL
β College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) November 2, 2024
Shortly after retiring on Jan. 10, legendary former Alabama football head coach Nick Saban, who won six national championships at Alabama, joined ESPN’s College GameDay as an analyst.
A few years before his 17-year tenure in Tuscaloosa, Saban was the head coach at LSU from 2000-04 and won a national title in 2003 with the Tigers. In other words, his relationship with two of college football’s top programs going head-to-head will be must-see TV next Saturday morning starting at 8am CT on ESPN.
The program, which first aired in 1987, has had numerous new faces serve as panelists over the years, and this season’s latest addition in Saban has really made a huge impression on both the rest of the cast and the show’s viewers. .
“[Saban has been]phenomenal,” CollegeGameDay host Reece Davis said on Oct. 15. iasktoihavedeideatalk[Sabanhasbeenphenomenal”CollegeGameDayhostReceDavissaidonOct15″ThequicknesswithwhichhehasadaptedtotelevisionHe’soneofthemostgiftedcommunicatorsI’veeverbeenaroundHecanexplainthingsandgrabyourattentioninpsychologicalfootballorhe’stellingyouabouthisbusinessventuresHecancommunicateEverybodyknowsthisandit’swhyeveryoneintheworldwantshimtocomeandspeak”[Π‘Π°Π±Π°Π½Π±Π΅ΡΠ΅ΡΠ΅Π½ΠΎΠΌΠ΅Π½Π°Π»Π΅Π½βΠΊΠ°Π·Π°Π΄ΠΎΠΌΠ°ΠΊΠΈΠ½ΡΡΠ½Π°CollegeGameDayΠ Π΅ΠΉΡΠΠ΅ΠΉΠ²ΠΈΡΠ½Π°15ΠΎΠΊΡΠΎΠΌΠ²ΡΠΈβΠΡΡΠ·ΠΈΠ½Π°ΡΠ°ΡΠΊΠΎΡΡΠΎΡΠΎΠΉΡΠ΅Π°Π΄Π°ΠΏΡΠΈΡΠ°ΠΊΡΠΌΡΠ΅Π»Π΅Π²ΠΈΠ·ΠΈΡΡΠ°Π’ΠΎΠΉΠ΅Π΅Π΄ΠΈΠ½ΠΎΡΠ½Π°ΠΉ-ΡΠ°Π»Π°Π½ΡΠ»ΠΈΠ²ΠΈΡΠ΅ΠΊΠΎΠΌΡΠ½ΠΈΠΊΠ°ΡΠΎΡΠΈΠΊΠΎΠΈΡΠΎΠ½ΡΠΊΠΎΠ³Π°ΡΡΠΌΡΡΠ΅ΡΠ°Π»Π’ΠΎΠΉΠΌΠΎΠΆΠ΅Π΄Π°ΠΎΠ±ΡΡΠ½ΡΠ²Π°Π½Π΅ΡΠ°ΡΠ°ΠΈΠ΄Π°Π³ΡΠ°Π±Π²Π°Π²Π°ΡΠ΅ΡΠΎΠ²Π½ΠΈΠΌΠ°Π½ΠΈΠ΅Π²ΠΏΡΠΈΡ ΠΎΠ»ΠΎΠ³ΠΈΡΠ΅ΡΠΊΠΈΡΡΡΡΠ±ΠΎΠ»ΠΈΠ»ΠΈΡΠΎΠΉΠ²ΠΈΡΠ°Π·ΠΊΠ°Π·Π²Π°Π·Π°ΡΠ²ΠΎΠΈΡΠ΅Π±ΠΈΠ·Π½Π΅ΡΠ½Π°ΡΠΈΠ½Π°Π½ΠΈΡΠ’ΠΎΠΉΠΌΠΎΠΆΠ΅Π΄Π°ΠΊΠΎΠΌΡΠ½ΠΈΠΊΠΈΡΠ°ΡΠΎΠ²Π°ΠΈΠ·Π°ΡΠΎΠ²Π°Π²ΡΠΈΡΠΊΠΈΠ²ΡΠ²Π΅ΡΠ°ΠΈΡΠΊΠ°ΡΡΠΎΠΉΠ΄Π°Π΄ΠΎΠΉΠ΄Π΅ΠΈΠ΄Π°Π³ΠΎΠ²ΠΎΡΠΈ[Sabanhasbeenphenomenal”CollegeGameDayhostReceDavissaidonOct15″ThequicknesswithwhichhehasadaptedtotelevisionHe’soneofthemostgiftedcommunicatorsI’veeverbeenaroundHecanexplainthingsandgrabyourattentioninpsychologicalfootballorhe’stellingyouabouthisbusinessventuresHecancommunicateEverybodyknowsthisandit’swhyeveryoneintheworldwantshimtocomeandspeak”
“But television and being in a band is a different dynamic,” Davis said. βTypically for most people, I think it takes almost a whole season. For him, he adapted very quickly. He understands the team, he’s a great advocate for the show, he comes up with ideas and still isn’t shy about expressing his opinion, he’s not overbearing. This person listens to everyone and takes it into account. He was great and I think probably the only thing that surprised me.”
Next Saturday’s game, which kicks off at 6:30pm CT on ABC, will have implications for the College Football Playoff, as both teams are currently seeded outside of the 12-team roster (which will also include the winners of five conferences) because each has two losses.
After an instant classic win over then-No. 1 Georgia, Alabama took the top spot in the AP poll, but then immediately fell to Vanderbilt and then Tennessee a few weeks later. LSU lost the season opener to USC and then the Tigers fell apart late against then-No. 14 Texas A&M.
That being said, even though LSU is at home and has perhaps the most chaotic environment in college football, the momentum factor may be on the Crimson Tide’s side as Alabama made a statement with a 34-0 victory last week against then No. 21 Missouri.