Alabama's Nick Saban: I 'Feel Bad' For Teams Left out of CFP amid FSU Controversy

Nick Saban has sympathy for Florida State and the other teams that just missed out on reaching the College Football Playoff.

Saban's squad in Alabama, along with Michigan, Washington and Texas, will be the four teams featured in this year's CFP. The Crimson Tide were the last team in after beating Georgia in the SEC Championship.

After the game, Saban did his best to promote his team for the playoff. The legendary coach discussed his pitch on The Pat McAfee Show on Thursday.

"My responsibility and obligation is to our team," Saban said. "I did the best job that I could to promote what we've been able to accomplish in winning 11-straight games or whatever, beating the number one team in the country in Georgia. And we're a different team now than we were earlier in the season, so that was my obligation to our players and our team and I'm proud of them for the way they responded to it, I'm proud of them for the way they played in the SEC Championship game."

Saban knows what it's like to just miss out on the College Football Playoff. Last season, Alabama was the No. 5 team in the final CFP rankings. That experience has helped him relate to some of the teams that were left out of the field.

"We've been on the other side of this. We've been on the outside looking in," Saban said. "We've been the team that didn't get in. We've been the fifth place team, so we kind of know how it feels."

While Saban is ultimately glad his team reached the CFP, he said that he has sympathy for some of the first teams out, like Florida State, which posted an undefeated record and an ACC Championship.

"I actually feel bad about it, because there really are a lot of teams this year who could make an argument to say, 'We should be there.' I get that," Saban said. "I feel great for our team, our team's worked hard. I'm glad that they have the opportunity to do what they have to do, be it playing another No. 1 team in the country in the Rose Bowl, they've worked hard for it, but I also feel bad for the teams that have an argument to into the playoff that didn't."

Saban and Alabama will take on Michigan in the CFP Semifinal on Jan. 1 at 5 p.m. ET.