Could Nick Saban Win Anywhere?

Larry Burton (Panama City Beach, Fla.) A lot of times a sportswriter gets a story idea where he least expects it. I was in the grocery store today with an Alabama T-shirt and a guy with an Ole Miss baseball cap comes up to me and says, "Y'all are lucky to have Saban. He's the only reason you won the National Championship. If he had come to Ole Miss, we'd be celebrating right now. He could win anywhere."

And not wanting to get into a long debate with ice cream in my cart, I simply said, "You may be right." and left him looking at frozen dinners.

But the thought nagged at me and I wondered if that were true.

After all, we won more championships without Saban than we have with him. Many feel it was just a question of when, not if we would finally repeat. I think there are many coaches that could have gotten us to that next step, although maybe not as fast.

But could Saban win anywhere?

He may indeed have turned Ole Miss around, here in the Southeastern Conference he would have attracted great recruits with his star power and he may have indeed turned them into champions.

And I'm sure that's the same thinking the man in grocery store had. But what about a team like, say, Toledo.

Saban spent a year there as an assistant in his younger days. And Toledo has a history of undefeated teams, I've written about them.

But could Saban work his magic in the MAC at a school like Toledo?

Forget that they could never afford him, or that Saban has no intention of leaving Larry Burton (Panama City Beach, Fla.) Alabama until retirement, but let's say some rich alumni offered Saban a personal services contract for 10 million a year to come do it and he said yes. Could he build a champion there?

No doubt he would instantly raise the talent level a star or two at least and his coaching ability would realize a few more wins for the first year, but making Toledo a champion? I'm not so sure.

Though it's hard to say he couldn't, Toledo is hardly an LSU or Alabama or even a Michigan State for that matter.

Saban did take Michigan State from dire straights to winners, although he was still a far way from making them a champion. And Michigan State attracts a better class of athletes than Toledo.

I'm sure this would be a debate that many would enjoy, but I am choosing not to state my final opinion on the subject.

I'm a lot more sure that Alabama may have won a national championship with another coach than Toledo would win one with Saban, but neither scenario is impossible either way.