College football has delivered one of its most hectic seasons in recent memory, and several teams around the country have a chance to win the national championship in January.
On Saturday, the “College GameDay” crew on ESPN, consisting of Rece Davis, Desmond Howard, Nick Saban, Pat McAfee and Kirk Herbstreit, predicted both their national championship contenders and their sleeper teams.
Saban Reveals His ‘Sleeper’ National Champion
Among everyone on the panel, nobody knows what it takes to win a national title better than Saban, who won seven championships as a coach.
On his 75th birthday, Saban somewhat shockingly named the No. 5 Notre Dame Fighting Irish as his top contender. However, when it came to his sleeper team, he decided to roll with the LSU Tigers, who are currently ranked No. 12 in the country.
“This could be the team to go all the way,” Saban said.
Nick Saban chooses @LSUfootball as his “Championship Sleeper”. #LSU https://t.co/HHZnUvKEGl
— Jacques Doucet (@JacquesDoucet) October 31, 2026
The legendary coach pointed to LSU’s numbers this season, as the Tigers are averaging more than 40 points per game offensively while allowing around 16. They’ve scored 321 total points and given up just 128, despite losses to Ole Miss and Kentucky.
Looking at LSU Right Now
The Tigers are currently 6-2 overall and riding a two-game winning streak. They’re also 3-2 in the SEC after coming off a 38-17 victory over the Auburn Tigers last week.
They’re now in the middle of their bye week before hosting a massive SEC showdown next week against the No. 10 Alabama Crimson Tide at Tiger Stadium. It’ll be a pivotal matchup in the College Football Playoff race, as both teams are trying to avoid picking up a third loss with several weeks still remaining in the regular season.
After Alabama, LSU will finish its season with matchups against Texas, Tennessee and Arkansas as it attempts to reach the postseason in the first year of head coach Lane Kiffin’s tenure in Baton Rouge.
Kiffin coached under Saban at Alabama from 2014-2016 as the quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator before taking the head coaching job at Florida Atlantic. That opportunity eventually led him to Ole Miss, which he left last offseason after LSU offered him its head coaching position.
Nick Saban Reveals His ‘Sleeper’ to Win the College Football National Championship