Nick Saban will return to LSU for ESPN’s College GameDay in Week 11 – Sports Illustrated

No. 16 LSU (6-2, 3-1) will return to Tiger Stadium on Saturday night for a Southeastern Conference prime-time showdown against Jalen Milroe and the Alabama Crimson Tide.

All eyes are on the pair of programs looking to stay in the College Football Playoff hunt, with kickoff set for 6:30pm CT in Baton Rouge.

ESPN’s College GameDay has revealed the Week 11 slate with the team heading to town for the LSU vs. Alabama game.

The day Nick Saban returns to Baton Rouge without being on the sidelines, he will prepare to be surrounded by two programs he has led during his coaching career.

Now the stage is set. Saban and Co. will expand on the key Week 11 matchup with the GameDay crew scheduled to be in Baton Rouge.

A look at game coverage, Brian Kelly’s thoughts on Saban and what an elite-level head coach had to say about Garrett Nussmeier ahead of the 2024 season:

11 a.m. CT – Florida at Texas, ABC
2:30 pm CT – Georgia at Ole Miss, ABC
3:15 pm CT – South Carolina at Vanderbilt, SEC Network
* 6 or 6:45 CT – Oklahoma at Missouri, ESPN or SEC Network
* 6 or 6:45 CT – Mississippi State at Tennessee, ESPN or SEC Network
6:30 p.m. CT – Alabama at LSU, ABC

Saban will return to Baton Rouge next weekend with the GameDay crew, which will board a flight to Louisiana.

As for Kelly, he was asked earlier in the week about the return of the “old Alabama” after beating Missouri 34-0 in Week 9.

“What does this old me look like? What, is Nick Saban back? Is Nick on the sidelines? He is everywhere. GameDayhe is in GameDay too. did you know that Oh my God,” Kelly said Tuesday. “I’m not sure what old Alabama is. They have a great staff. They are well trained. You know, we certainly know it’s going to be a big challenge, but it’s the SEC every week. It will be the same. I don’t know if there’s a sense that our team can’t, if they play at their best, when their best is needed, that they can’t compete and play with anybody.”

LSU was inactive in Week 10 after a loss to Texas A&M, with the program focusing on a well-rounded performance with complementary football.

“We definitely have to play four quarters,” Kelly said. “And I know they’re anxious and excited to be able to play in Tiger Stadium and watch, and I think I said that in the press, once you know you have a 24-hour rule. But it’s easier to have this after a win.

“The 24 hours after a loss (it) goes a lot longer and these guys are going to want to play and they can’t wait to play Alabama.”

Ahead of the 2024 season, Nick Saban commented on LSU signal caller Garrett Nussmeier and the faith he has in the first-year starter.

“I think Garrett Nussmeier is going to be one of the sleepers in college football this year,” Saban said on Saturday’s College GameDay.

Along with the comment about Nussmeier, he also predicted the Tigers would make the College Football Playoff this season.

“LSU always has skill guys. They talk about all the receivers they’ve lost — you can shake a tree in Louisiana and those guys are going to fall out,” Saban said.

In Nussmeier’s first career start against Wisconsin in the ReliaQuest Bowl, he finished the game 31-for-45 with three touchdown passes and just one interception.

It’s his team now, as he continues to work through the 2024 season as one of the top quarterbacks in the SEC. LSU is currently 5-1 (2-0) with a date against the Arkansas Razorbacks looming in Week 8.

“The car wasn’t his, he was driving that thing fast and he didn’t care if he dented it. It’s his car now. And he’s really careful not to mess it up, you know,” Kelly said of Nussmeier during fall camp. “He understands that he can’t put the ball in the other team’s hands. So, I just think it’s, you know, being a starter, understanding the importance and realizing that taking care of the football is extremely important to our success.”

No. 16 LSU will return to action on Nov. 9 against the Alabama Crimson Tide with kickoff set for 6:30 pm CT at Tiger Stadium.

Immediate takeaways: No. 8 LSU falls to No. 14 Texas A&M in College Station

LSU dishes out America’s No. 1 quarterback

Nick Saban calls LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier a “sleeper” ahead of the 2024 season

Follow Zack Nagy on Twitter: @znagy20 and LSU Tigers on SI: @LSUTigersSI for all the coverage surrounding the LSU program.