Nick Football Coach Who Led Both Lsu And Alabama?
| Saban in 2018 | |
| Current position | |
|---|---|
| Title | Head coach |
| Team | Alabama |
| Conference | SEC |
| Record | 182–25 |
| Annual salary | $11.7 million |
| Biographical details | |
| Born | October 31, 1951 (age 70) Fairmont, West Virginia |
| Playing career | |
| 1970–1972 | Kent State |
| Position(s) | Defensive back |
| Coaching career ( HC unless noted) | |
| 1973–1974 | Kent State ( GA ) |
| 1975–1976 | Kent State (LB) |
| 1977 | Syracuse (OLB) |
| 1978–1979 | West Virginia (DB) |
| 1980–1981 | Ohio State (DB) |
| 1982 | Navy (DB) |
| 1983–1987 | Michigan State ( DC /DB) |
| 1988–1989 | Houston Oilers (DB) |
| 1990 | Toledo |
| 1991–1994 | Cleveland Browns (DC) |
| 1995–1999 | Michigan State |
| 2000–2004 | LSU |
| 2005–2006 | Miami Dolphins |
| 2007–present | Alabama |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 273–67–1 (college) 15–17 (NFL) |
| Bowls | 18–11 |
| Tournaments | 9–4 ( CFP ) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 7 National (2003, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017, 2020) 10 SEC (2001, 2003, 2009, 2012, 2014–2016, 2018, 2020–2021) 1 MAC (1990) 14 SEC Western Division (2001–2003, 2008-2009, 2012–2018, 2020–2021) | |
| Awards | |
| 2× Paul “Bear” Bryant Award (2003, 2020) 2× Walter Camp Coach of the Year (2008, 2018) George Munger Award (2016) Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year (2014) 2× AP College Football Coach of the Year (2003, 2008) 2× Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year (2003, 2008) Home Depot Coach of the Year (2008) Sporting News Coach of the Year (2008) 5× SEC Coach of the Year (2003, 2008, 2009, 2016, 2020) | |
Nicholas Lou Saban Jr., who was born on October 31, 1951, is a football coach in the American football league. Since 2007, he has served as the head coach of the football team at the University of Alabama. Former head coach of the National Football League’s Miami Dolphins as well as positions at Louisiana State University (LSU), Michigan State University, and the University of Toledo, Nick Saban is currently the head football coach at the University of Alabama.
There is widespread consensus that Nick Saban is the all-time best coach in the history of college football. Saban coached the LSU Tigers to the BCS National Championship in 2003. He then went on to lead the Alabama Crimson Tide to the BCS and AP national championships in 2009, 2011, and 2012, as well as the College Football Playoff titles in 2015, 2017, and 2020.
As a head coach, he holds the record for the most national championships won in college football history with seven. It was the first time in the history of college football that a coach has been able to win the national title with two distinct institutions competing in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) since the first AP Poll was conducted in 1936.
- Saban and Bear Bryant are the only coaches in SEC history to have won a championship at more than one institution throughout their careers.
- Saban finished his tenure as a collegiate head coach with a record of 273-67-1.
- Saban was honored with induction into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in the year 2013.
Mark Ingram II (2009), Derrick Henry (2015), DeVonta Smith (2020), and Bryce Young (2020) are the four players that Nick Saban has coached at Alabama who have won the Heisman Trophy (2021).
Did Nick Saban ever coach at LSU?
Saban made his comeback to the collegiate game in 1995 when he was hired as the head coach at Michigan State University. During his time there, he completely remade the program over the course of five seasons. After leading Michigan State to a 9–2 record in the 1999–2000 season, he stepped down as head coach and took over the same position at Louisiana State University the following year (LSU).
Why did Nick Saban leave LSU?
Associated Press photograph by Richard Shiro Since Nick Saban’s return to college football, the team that LSU’s main adversary plays for has won five national titles under his direction. It appears that Saban regrets that he was not able to participate in all of those activities in Baton Rouge.
During an interview with Glenn Guilbeau of the Lafayette Daily Advertiser, the Alabama coach confessed that his greatest career regret was choosing to work for the Miami Dolphins rather than LSU. “It turned out, what I learned from that experience was, it was a terrible mistake to leave college football,” Saban said.
“In hindsight, it was a huge mistake to leave college football.” “I’m aware that a lot of people who support LSU believe that I left for a variety of reasons, but the truth is that I left because I wanted to be a professional coach, or believed I wanted to be a professional coach.
- We adored LSU.
- We put forth a lot of effort to develop the program.
- If there was one thing in my professional life that I could change, it would be that I would have stayed at LSU rather than transfer schools.” Between the years 2000 and 2004, Saban was the head coach of LSU, when the school won the BCS National Championship in 2003.
He resigned in 2005 to become the head coach of the Miami Dolphins, where he oversaw a record of 15-17 over the course of two seasons before leaving to become the head coach at Alabama. “I truly wanted to be a college coach, but I had it in the back of my mind all the time that the ultimate thing that you could do in the profession was to be a head coach in the NFL,” Saban said.
That was the thing that I thought was the pinnacle of what you could do in the industry.” “Don’t bother asking me why. On the other hand, that was simply kind of present. And I believed, most likely due to the influence of Wayne Huizenga, that option was the best one. He was a rather effective recruiter overall.” Since his return to collegiate football, Nick Saban has guided the Alabama Crimson Tide to five titles and seven national championship games, making his run the most successful in the history of college football coaching.
In 2011, Nick Saban led Alabama to victory over LSU, who was then coached by Les Miles. Saban is going to be honored into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame the following year, despite the fact that LSU has had to deal with him as a nuisance for over a decade.
Who is the best college football coach of all time?
Leaders in each respective category – John Gagliardi, who competed mostly at the level of NCAA Division III during his career, has amassed a total of 489 victories, making him the all-time leader in career wins. In 1949, Gagliardi began his career as a head coach at Carroll, which is located in Helena, Montana.
In 1953, he transferred to Saint John’s, which is located in Collegeville, Minnesota, and he worked there until he retired at the end of the 2012 season. Joe Paterno, who was the head coach at Penn State from 1966 until his termination in 2011 as a result of the Jerry Sandusky child molestation scandal, has the second-most victories in college football history, with 409.
As a result of the scandal and the subsequent sanctions imposed by the NCAA, he was stripped of all 111 victories achieved by Penn State between the years 1998 and 2011. On January 16, 2015, the NCAA reinstated those victories as part of a settlement of a lawsuit brought by the state of Pennsylvania against the NCAA.
- Eddie Robinson, who served as the head coach at Grambling State University from 1941 to 1997 (with the exception of a two-season break during World War II, during which the school did not field a team), is now in third place with 408 victories.
- Bobby Bowden is currently in fourth place with 377 victories.
Larry Kehres, who served as the head football coach at Mount Union in Alliance, Ohio, for 27 seasons (1986–2012), has the best winning % of any coach with 200 career victories. He has a 929 winning percentage in his 27 seasons. Pete Fredenburg (.856), Jake Gaither (.844), Tom Osborne (.836), Mike Kelly (.819), Joe Fincham (.815), and Ron Schipper all concluded their careers with a winning percentage of.800 or higher or 200 victories, respectively (.808).
- Steve Ryan (.835) and Nick Saban are the only two active coaches who have both won 200 games and have a winning percentage of.800 or above (.800).
- Paterno (409 wins), Robinson (408 wins), Bowden (377 wins), Bear Bryant (323 wins), and Pop Warner are the all-time leaders in wins for coaches who have spent at least 10 seasons coaching at the NCAA Division I level or one of its predecessors (319).
Paterno (409), Bowden (377), Bryant (323), and Warner (319) are the all-time leaders in terms of wins in Division I FBS. This includes wins with “major” programs prior to the 1978 split of Division I football, as well as wins in Division I-A/FBS after the split.
- Amos Alonzo Stagg is fifth on the list, with 377 victories (314).
- Jimmye Laycock (242), Roy Kidd (223), Andy Talley (217), and Jerry Moore are the only coaches in Division I FCS history to have accumulated 200 victories since the division of the league (215).
- Danny Hale (Bloomsburg and West Chester), Gaither, and Chuck Broyles are the all-time leaders in wins for NCAA Division II, and Gagliardi and Kehres are the all-time leaders in wins for NCAA Division III.
Mack Brown, Kevin Donley, and Nick Saban are the three active coaches with the most wins in their careers, and all three are anticipated to be coaching in 2022. (265). Gagliardi (465 wins at Saint John’s), Paterno (409 wins at Penn State), Robinson (408 wins at Grambling), Kehres (332 wins at Mount Union), Ken Sparks (327 wins at Carson–Newman), Kidd (314 wins at Eastern Kentucky), Bowden (304 wins at Florida State), and Tubby Raymond (304 wins at Florida State) are the coaches who have the most victories at a single college (300 at Delaware).
Is Nick Saban the best college coach ever?
Nick Saban is just one game away from making Alabama history, but he believes that the legendary coach that he is tied with is still the best coach that has ever lived. Saban enters Monday tied with Bear Bryant with six national championships with the Crimson Tide; he owns seven overall with his title at LSU in 2003; however, if he were to win against Georgia, he would pass the Alabama legend and become the all-time leader in terms of the number of national championships won at Alabama.
- Saban acknowledged that Bryant’s legacy was a significant factor in the program’s success during his leadership.
- In an interview with ESPN, Nick Saban stated, “I still think in my perspective, he’s the best coach of all time.” “Even now, I look up to him in exactly the same manner.
- We would not have been able to achieve the level of success that we have at Alabama if it were not for the legacy that he left behind at Alabama because of the work that he performed there.
Because he set a precedent and an example for us to follow, which we tried to replicate to some extent so that we might be successful in the program, he deserves credit for this. But he was truly a trailblazer who laid the groundwork for a great many things that are now standard practice in our field.
- Saban’s 176 victories in 15 seasons with the program are still a far cry from Bryant’s 232, but he may also tie Bryant on Monday by repeating for the second time in his Alabama career if Alabama is victorious in the national championship game.
- The College Football Playoff championship game will be played in Indianapolis at 8 p.m.
Eastern Time between SEC rivals Alabama and Georgia. Additional Coverage on College Football: The most recent developments in discussions on the expansion of the College Football Playoff A look back at the history of Smart, Saban, and a lopsided series title game Predictions: Will Alabama or Georgia Come Out on Top? The regulation of NIL should be subject to legislation, according to Saban.
How many times has Nick Saban been to the national championship?
Nick Saban, 7 Six of Saban’s championships came during his time with Alabama (2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017 and 2020). His first one came in 2003, when he was coaching at LSU and the Tigers split the national championship with Southern California, with the Trojans taking the AP title and the Tigers taking the BCS crown.
How Old Is Nick Saban net worth?
What Nick Saban is Worth Today
| Net Worth: | $70 Million |
|---|---|
| Salary: | $11 Million |
| Date of Birth: | 1951-10-31 |
| Gender: | Male |
| Height: | 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) |
Who is the highest paid coach 2022?
Pep Guardiola, a Spanish tactician, is regarded as one of the best and most successful managers of his generation and maybe of all time. Guardiola holds the number one spot on this list. Pep Guardiola has had a distinguished career as a football coach, during which he has been able to fundamentally alter the way that football teams compete.
His “tikitaka” concept, which he created during his tenure as a coach at Barcelona, is currently used as a model by a number of football clubs who value entertaining play. Guardiola holds the title of highest paid manager in the Premier League at this time, having recently accepted the position at Manchester City.
There are rumors that his annual salary at the Etihad Stadium is somewhere in the neighborhood of £19 million. Given what he has been able to accomplish with the Citizens, the amount of money that he takes home is, without a doubt, very much warranted. 
Did the Dolphins Fire Nick Saban?
Images obtained from Getty We heard over and over again during the second half of Nick Saban’s second season as head coach of the Dolphins that he was dissatisfied in the NFL and that he wanted to go back to the college game. This was during the time when Nick Saban had been with the Dolphins for two seasons.
On Tuesday, Saban discussed the time in his life when he says he realized he didn’t belong in the National Football League. Saban stated in statements that were released by 247sports.com that the decision to not sign quarterback Drew Brees was a major factor in his decision to leave the Dolphins. “While the Miami Dolphins were about to sign Drew Brees, Drew was coming to Miami when I was the coach there,” Nick Saban stated.
“Look at it this way: when the Miami Dolphins were going to sign Drew Brees.” He was set to start as quarterback for the team. That was all that was required of us. We recently finished with a record of 9-7, and all we needed was a quarterback to qualify for the playoffs.
Drew Brees was going to become our free agency quarterback, and we planned to sign him. Dr. Andrews performed surgery on, and I traveled to Birmingham to visit Dr. Andrews; he assured me that everything would be well after the procedure. Our medical staff determined that he did not pass the physical exam.
was there to sign with us. ” When it occurred, I made the conclusion there and then that since we do not have a quarterback in the NFL, we are not going to be successful. I had to get out of this place. I won’t be remaining in this location. I refuse to accept responsibility for this situation.
This physician didn’t have a clue about anything, not even his own behind. If Drew Brees plays football for another 15 years, he will win a Super Bowl and be selected to nine Pro Bowls. And we did not take him to Miami, which was his preferred destination. There are certain things over which you have no control.
When we departed, nobody could explain why it was important to us. So that’s the reason why. There’s always an explanation for things.” Saban’s never-ending gripes about Dr. Don’t Know My Ass From A Handful Of Sand have never been explained in a way that is wholly satisfactory.
- Saban was in charge of everything in Miami.
- Saban had the ability to disregard the doctor’s advice.
- Saban has the ability to fly Dr.
- Andrews down to Miami for a personal meeting with Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga, should it have become necessary to do so.
- If Saban really wanted Brees as much as he claims he wants now, then he could have done something to get him.
The formal explanation provided by Saban about the matter is not unexpected. Saban creates the appearance that the Dolphins would have become what the Saints became by stating that he wanted Brees and that someone else blocked it from occurring. This gives the sense that the Dolphins would have been similar to the Saints.
And this approach, which is not very subtle at all, destroys the wonderful connection that Brees created with Sean Payton, who is the head coach of the Saints. It’s possible that Saban, who comes from a defensive coaching background, would not have been able to get the same level of consistent performance out of Brees as Payton did.
In addition, it’s not as though Saban quit the second the Dolphins decided not to sign Brees; it’s not like that at all. Instead, the Dolphins dealt a second-round pick to the Vikings in exchange for quarterback Daunte Culpepper. Culpepper had a serious knee injury in 2005, but he quietly had a great season in 2004, with a completion percentage of 69.7, 4,717 passing yards, 39 touchdown passes, and a full-season passer rating of 110.9.
In 2005, he suffered the knee injury. It appears like Saban made a calculation that ended up backfiring on him, thus the reality may be that this happened. Saban decided to go with Culpepper as his quarterback instead of making every effort to get Brees. If he had informed Huizenga, “Sign Brees or I’m out of here after the season,” Huizenga would have understood that Saban meant business and signed Brees.
And it didn’t work. When it became evident that it wasn’t working, that’s when whispers started spreading that Saban wouldn’t be sticking around for much longer in the NFL. It’s always better to be able to say that someone else didn’t know your ass from a handful of sand, but Saban will certainly continue to promote his own narrative on the matter because it’s always better to be able to say that.
Has Nick Saban ever lost a national championship?
| Alabama Crimson Tide football under Nick Saban | |
|---|---|
| Athletic director | Mal Moore (2007–2013) Bill Battle (2013–2017) Greg Byrne (2017– ) |
| Head coach | Nick Saban 16 season, 187–25 (.882) |
| Stadium | Bryant–Denny Stadium |
| Conference | Southeastern Conference |
| Division | Western Division |
| Bowl record | 15–6 (.714) |
| Claimed national titles | 6 |
| Conference titles | 8 |
| Division titles | 9 |
| Heisman winners | 4 |
| Consensus All-Americans | 44 |
The history of the Alabama Crimson Tide football program from the time Nick Saban was hired as head coach in 2007 until the present is detailed in the book Alabama Crimson Tide Football under Nick Saban. Alabama is a member of the West Division of the Southeastern Conference and competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) (SEC).
- Bryant–Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama is where the Alabama Crimson Tide play their home games.
- They have appeared in 21 bowl games, winning 15 of them, won nine SEC West crowns, eight SEC championships, and six national championships while Saban has been the head coach.
- Their overall official record is 182-25 (.879) (187-25 on the field).
Since 2008, each of Saban’s teams has finished at least a portion of each season ranked first in the country in at least one of the major polls. Nick Saban made his decision public on January 3, 2007, when he accepted the post as head coach for the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Saban led them to their first perfect regular season since 92-93, although they were beaten in both the SEC Championship Game and the Sugar Bowl that same year (2008). Saban guided Alabama to its first BCS National Title in 2009, as well as its first overall national championship since 1992. In addition, Alabama won its first national championship since 1992.
After a season that ended with a record of 10–3, which was considered to be rather unsatisfactory, Saban led the Tide to back-to-back BCS National Championships in the 2011 and 2012 seasons. The squad from 2013 won their first eleven games, but they were unable to win their third national title in a row since they lost their final two games.
- The 2014 squad that Saban coached to the SEC West and SEC titles finished with a record of 12-2, although they were eliminated by Ohio State in the semi-final stage of the first College Football Playoff in the Sugar Bowl.
- In 2015, Saban won his fourth national title at Alabama, and in 2017, he won his fifth national championship at the brand new Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The year 2018 was filled with ups and downs for the squad, culminating in a defeat in the National Championship Game at the hands of No.2 Clemson. By beating Ohio State 52-24 in the national championship game in 2020, Nick Saban brought Alabama to its sixth title and earned the seventh of his career overall.
- With this victory, Saban broke Paul Bear Bryant’s previous record of six national titles at the same institution to become the coach with the most national titles in history.
- Before Nick Saban, Alabama has never had a player win the Heisman Trophy.
- During Saban’s time as head coach at Alabama, a large number of former players have gone on to be honored for their on-field achievements.
The state of Alabama has seen four different players win the Heisman Trophy: Mark Ingram II (2009), Derrick Henry (2015), DeVonta Smith (2020), and Bryce Young (2021). Young received 83% of the vote. First Team All-American honors have been bestowed upon 71 athletes, 44 of whom were selected either majority vote or unanimity.
How many losses has Nick Saban had at Alabama?
Nick Saban’s coaching record with the Alabama Crimson Tide when he was there is as follows: Since 2007, Nick Saban has compiled a record of 177 victories against just 24 defeats. In fact, some of those losses occurred during Saban’s first season in Tuscaloosa, when the Crimson Tide battled to a record of 7-6 despite the head coach’s best efforts (which the NCAA knocked down to a 2-6 record).
However, the Crimson Tide showed significant improvement from that point on. Alabama was 12-2 in Saban’s second season, falling in the SEC Championship Game against Urban Meyer’s Florida Gators.2009 was one of only two seasons in which Nick Saban led Alabama’s Crimson Tide to a perfect record, and it was also the year that Alabama won its first national title under Saban’s direction.
The events that followed are now part of past history. In addition to their victory in 2009, Alabama’s teams also took home the national championship in 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017, and 2020 respectively. In addition, the year 2020 was the only other campaign in which Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide did not suffer a single defeat in any of their games.
How many national championships has Nick Saban won as a coach?
| Saban in 2018 | |
| Current position | |
|---|---|
| Title | Head coach |
| Team | Alabama |
| Conference | SEC |
| Record | 182–25 |
| Annual salary | $11.7 million |
| Biographical details | |
| Born | October 31, 1951 (age 70) Fairmont, West Virginia |
| Playing career | |
| 1970–1972 | Kent State |
| Position(s) | Defensive back |
| Coaching career ( HC unless noted) | |
| 1973–1974 | Kent State ( GA ) |
| 1975–1976 | Kent State (LB) |
| 1977 | Syracuse (OLB) |
| 1978–1979 | West Virginia (DB) |
| 1980–1981 | Ohio State (DB) |
| 1982 | Navy (DB) |
| 1983–1987 | Michigan State ( DC /DB) |
| 1988–1989 | Houston Oilers (DB) |
| 1990 | Toledo |
| 1991–1994 | Cleveland Browns (DC) |
| 1995–1999 | Michigan State |
| 2000–2004 | LSU |
| 2005–2006 | Miami Dolphins |
| 2007–present | Alabama |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 273–67–1 (college) 15–17 (NFL) |
| Bowls | 18–11 |
| Tournaments | 9–4 ( CFP ) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 7 National (2003, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017, 2020) 10 SEC (2001, 2003, 2009, 2012, 2014–2016, 2018, 2020–2021) 1 MAC (1990) 14 SEC Western Division (2001–2003, 2008-2009, 2012–2018, 2020–2021) | |
| Awards | |
| 2× Paul “Bear” Bryant Award (2003, 2020) 2× Walter Camp Coach of the Year (2008, 2018) George Munger Award (2016) Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year (2014) 2× AP College Football Coach of the Year (2003, 2008) 2× Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year (2003, 2008) Home Depot Coach of the Year (2008) Sporting News Coach of the Year (2008) 5× SEC Coach of the Year (2003, 2008, 2009, 2016, 2020) | |
Nicholas Lou Saban Jr., who was born on October 31, 1951, is a football coach in the American football league. Since 2007, he has served as the head coach of the football team at the University of Alabama. Former head coach of the National Football League’s Miami Dolphins as well as positions at Louisiana State University (LSU), Michigan State University, and the University of Toledo, Nick Saban is currently the head football coach at the University of Alabama.
There is widespread consensus that Nick Saban is the all-time best coach in the history of college football. Saban coached the LSU Tigers to the BCS National Championship in 2003. He then went on to lead the Alabama Crimson Tide to the BCS and AP national championships in 2009, 2011, and 2012, as well as the College Football Playoff titles in 2015, 2017, and 2020.
As a head coach, he holds the record for the most national championships won in college football history with seven. It was the first time in the history of college football that a coach has been able to win the national title with two distinct institutions competing in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) since the first AP Poll was conducted in 1936.
Saban and Bear Bryant are the only coaches in SEC history to have won a championship at more than one institution throughout their careers. Saban finished his tenure as a collegiate head coach with a record of 273-67-1. Saban was honored with induction into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in the year 2013.
Mark Ingram II (2009), Derrick Henry (2015), DeVonta Smith (2020), and Bryce Young (2020) are the four players that Nick Saban has coached at Alabama who have won the Heisman Trophy (2021).
Was Josh McDaniels on Nick Saban’s coaching staff?
LSU – In November of 1999, LSU announced that Nick Saban will serve as the school’s 31st head football coach. The Tigers finished the year 2000 with an 8–4 record and a victory in the Peach Bowl. The season was significantly hampered by a number of one-sided defeats, the most notable of which was a loss to the Auburn Tigers by a score of 34–17 and a loss to the Florida Gators by a score of 41–9.
In 2001, under Saban’s direction, LSU finished the season with a record of 10–3, including victories in both the Sugar Bowl and the SEC Championship. The Tigers concluded the season with six consecutive victories, including a victory over #2 Tennessee in the 2001 SEC Championship Game and a victory over Illinois in the 2002 Sugar Bowl by a score of 47–34.
This came after the Tigers suffered a loss to the Ole Miss Rebels earlier in the season. For LSU, it was the first time since 1986 that they had won the SEC title entirely, and it was the first time that the Tigers had triumphed in the Sugar Bowl since 1968.
The beginning of the 2002 season was marked by great hopes for the team, but an opening loss to Virginia Tech by a score of 26-8 cast severe doubts on their prospects. However, the Tigers would bounce back to win their next six straight games, but after a mid-season injury to quarterback Matt Mauck, LSU lost four of its last six games to close out the season.
One of those losses was a 21–20 defeat at the hands of Arkansas, which knocked the Tigers out of the SEC Championship Game and forced them to share the SEC West Division title with the Razorbacks. LSU ended their season with a record of 8–5, including a loss to Texas by the score of 35–20 in the Cotton Bowl Classic.
- The 2003 edition of the Tigers got out to a strong start, winning their first five games, including a 17–10 victory at Tiger Stadium over the Georgia Bulldogs, who were undefeated at the time and were the defending SEC champions.
- The next week, LSU was defeated by Florida by a score of 19–7.
- After suffering a defeat at the hands of Florida, LSU went on to finish the regular season undefeated, clinching the Southeastern Conference West division title with a victory over the Arkansas Razorbacks.
The Tigers defeated the Georgia Bulldogs in the SEC Championship Game, which was held in Atlanta. This victory came after the Tigers won the SEC West. They were rated No.2 in the BCS rankings, and as a result, they moved on to compete against the Oklahoma Sooners, who were ranked No.1 in the BCS, in the Sugar Bowl, which served as the venue for the 2003 BCS Championship Game.
- The Tigers came out on top, winning the match 21–14.
- With the victory, LSU finished the season with a record of 13–1 and won the BCS national title.
- LSU’s 2004 campaign ended with a record of 9–3, as the Tigers were defeated by the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Capital One Bowl, 30–25, on a touchdown throw on the game’s final play.
Other defeats during that season came on the road at Auburn, where they were defeated 10–9, and at Georgia, where they were defeated 45–16. Saban departed LSU at the conclusion of the 2004 season to take over as head coach of the Miami Dolphins.