Nick Saban: 'Best Thing' to Happen to Ohio State Was Being 'Humiliated' by Michigan

Following Ohio State's national championship win over Notre Dame on Monday night, one legendary head coach said he believes the team wouldn't have managed to reach this point without facing some adversity.

During an appearance on The Pivot Podcast, former Alabama head coach Nick Saban said he feels that the Buckeyes' 13-10 loss to Michigan in the final week of the regular season helped give them the fuel they needed for their run through the College Football Playoff.

"We won 19 games in a row twice at Alabama. And both times we lost to a team that wasn't as good as us. And it was because we could not deal with success. Starts to affect your preparation, your habits in practice. And those things start showing up in the game. And then you get exposed, and you get beat. So, I sometimes say, 'You need to lose,'" Saban explained.

"Like, I think the best thing that ever happened to Ohio State is getting beat by Michigan. Because they got criticized so much for that, and everybody was humiliated. And they stepped up their game since then and they played really, really good. But if they won that game, would they have that same sort of edge to them?"

Michigan was unranked when it upset Ohio State, which was ranked No. 2 in the nation at the time. The loss dropped the Buckeyes to the No. 8 spot in the CFP.

Still, Ohio State ran through its competition, topping the 40-point mark in wins over No. 9 Tennessee and No. 1 Oregon before earning double-digit victories over No. 5 Texas and No. 8 Notre Dame.

The loss to the Wolverines undoubtedly didn't sit well with the Buckeyes, but they probably wouldn't mind doing it again if it results in another national championship.