Nick Saban Identifies 'Rat Poison' for College Football's Top Teams

Seven-time national champion and former Alabama Crimson Tide head coach, Nick Saban, is brutally honest when it comes to expectations for the nation's top college football teams ahead of Week 2's slate.

It's not surprising for Saban, who coined the phrase "rat poison" during his exceptional 17-year run in Tuscaloosa. According to Saban, "rat poison" basically refers to rankings, preseason polls and social media discourse.

He doesn't think it's healthy for programs, including coaches and players, to take in the outside noise, especially when a team is expected win and reach the postseason before the games are played on Saturdays.

Saban, now with ESPN's "College GameDay", sees the same issue this season in regards to the top teams in the country.

"All these teams that we've created all this expectation – these teams are going to get in the playoffs –  that's the rat poison," Saban said on The Pat McAfee Show ." "That's what takes your focus away from who are we playing this week. What I got to do this week. Who am I lining up against – might be the best player I ever played against – I need to block the guy... Or are you thinking about what's going to happen in the playoffs?

Top five AP teams Georgia, Ohio State, Texas, Alabama and Oregon perhaps have the highest expectations through one week of the 2024 slate. Managing those expectations and taking the schedule week-by-week is pivotal for these teams to find themselves in the national championship conversation, according to Saban.

Steve Sarkisian's Longhorns have the toughest test of the group in Week 2, a trip to Ann Arbor to take on the defending national champions Michigan Wolverines. We will learn a lot about both of those squads on Saturday at noon ET (Fox).

Related: Joel Klatt Predicts Major College Football Upset in Week 2

Related: Texas Legend Makes His Opinion on Arch Manning Extremely Clear