Nick Saban Takes Subtle Shot at Marcus Freeman’s Notre Dame After Spotting Major Flaw Against BYU

Notre Dame has won seven of its first eight games, and its defense has given opponents very little room to work with. But the Fighting Irish still have one question to answer before the biggest game of their season: can their offense keep up when the competition gets tougher? Their loss to BYU brought that concern into focus, and with Miami coming to South Bend, the spotlight is now on Marcus Freeman's team.

The Irish are ranked No. 11 in the first College Football Playoff rankings and know that Saturday's meeting with the No. 1 Hurricanes could shape their chances of making the field. Former Alabama head coach Nick Saban has been watching the team closely, and one part of Notre Dame's performance against BYU clearly stood out to him.

"Notre Dame hasn't been able to put it together in big games," Saban said. "They got guys wide (expletive) open in the BYU game and hell, I can throw it to them. If a guy is open by 10 yards, you don't have to make a perfect pass. Just get the ball to them," Writer John Leuzzi posted on X on 7 November.

Saban was pointing to the chances Notre Dame missed during its October 17 loss to BYU. The Irish went into halftime trailing 21-10 and never managed to turn things around. Quarterback CJ Carr completed 27 of 49 passes for 261 yards, finishing with a 55.1% completion rate and no passing touchdowns.

It was his lowest completion percentage of the season, and the missed throws became a concern heading into the Miami game.

To be fair, Saban did have plenty of praise for Notre Dame. The Irish defense is allowing just 236.3 yards per game, the fewest in the country. It is also tied for fourth nationally in scoring defense, giving up 13.4 points per game.

Notre Dame's next game could make a major difference in its playoff hopes. At 7-1 and sitting at No. 11, the Irish have not yet picked up a win over a ranked opponent. With no other ranked teams remaining on their schedule after Miami, Saturday's matchup gives them a chance to add the kind of win the selection committee wants to see.

Saban made his feelings clear during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, calling the game a must-win for Freeman's team.

"This is a huge game. Obviously, playing the No. 1 team in the country at home. I think the game is kind of a must-win situation, because the College Football Playoff put them conveniently at No. 11. 'Conveniently' means if they don't win, they may be on the outside looking in. Not saying they can't play their way back into it, but they don't have the strongest schedule to finish with."

Saban also made sure to point out that he likes Notre Dame's defense and Freeman's approach. Still, he believes the Irish need a quality win to strengthen their playoff case.

Miami enters the game as the No. 1 team in the CFP rankings. The Hurricanes are also expected to be without star wide receiver Malachi Toney, who is dealing with an ankle injury that will require a medical procedure and keep him out for an extended period.

Notre Dame was not the only topic Saban discussed during his appearance on the New Heights podcast with Jason and Travis Kelce. He also spoke about the planned expansion of the College Football Playoff from 12 teams to 24, which is expected to begin in 2027.

"There's not 24 teams in the country that can win the National Championship," Saban said.

He questioned why college football needs such a large playoff field and suggested that money is a major reason behind the proposed change.

"Playing in the SEC Championship was a big thing to our players, it was a big thing to our fans, it was a tradition, and it was a great venue," he said. "There's a lot of pride in winning the conference championship. And we're going to give that up to have an extra game, where the 24th team is going to play the ninth-best team. I'm not a big (proponent) of it."

Saban also questioned whether the additional playoff round would bring in enough money to make up for the revenue lost from conference championship games. While he has suggested that a 16-team format could be a middle ground, he is not convinced that 24 teams are needed.

For now, Notre Dame has a more immediate challenge to deal with. Freeman's team has the defense to compete with the country's top programs, but the game against Miami will give its offense a chance to show it can deliver when the pressure is on. A win would give the Irish the signature result they have been missing. A loss could leave their playoff hopes in a much tougher position.