Nick Saban went against the grain on Saturday morning.
As the ESPN College GameDay crew made their weekly picks in Athens, Georgia ahead of Washington's matchup against Michigan, all but one host sided with the Wolverines. Michigan alum Desmond Howard, Pat McAfee, Kirk Herbstreit, and guest picker Jelly Roll all went with the 4.5-point favorites.
But the most important voice on the cast chose the Huskies. Saban, arguably the greatest coach in college football history, not only chose Washington, but had high praise for the Huskies.
"I think Washington is maybe the next best team in the Big Ten, besides [Ohio State, Indiana, and Oregon]," Saban said. "And Michigan's defense did not play as well last week as what I thought they were capable of, and they weren't able to run the ball like I thought they'd be able to."
Saban, 73 years old, joined the College GameDay cast in February 2024 following a legendary head coaching career. He led teams to seven national championships -- six with Alabama and one with LSU. Of course, former Washington coach Kalen DeBoer was the one who replaced Saban at Alabama after taking the Huskies to the 2024 National Championship Game.
The endorsement may have just been a brief soundbite, but it carries a lot of weight for a Washington team that continues to be overlooked. Saban's words validated what a lot of Huskies fans already believed in, that Washington is closer to contention than the national polls suggest.
However, Washington still has an uphill battle to climb, as it is currently down 7-0 to Michigan after the first quarter. A loss in the Big House effectively renders Saban's praise irrelevant.