'College GameDay' Gives Nick Saban New Nickname Before Notre Dame-Indiana

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Chris Phelps | Last updated Dec 20, 2024 5:55 PM ET

To kick off the first round of the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff, ESPN's "College GameDay" broadcast two shows in two days.

The first came on Friday afternoon in South Bend, Indiana, ahead of the lone CFP game of the day as the Notre Dame Fighting Irish hosted the Indiana Hoosiers.

With the temperature sitting at 33 degrees Fahrenheit at the beginning of the broadcast, the "GameDay" crew, including Rece Davis, Nick Saban, Kirk Herbstreit, Pat McAfee and Desmond Howard, each wore heavy, cold-weather clothes.

However, it was the former Alabama Crimson Tide coach's outfit that caught the most attention. Saban notably rocked a fedora-style hat , which was perfect for the location of Indiana as it resembled the popular Harrison Ford character Indiana Jones.

Even McAfee loved Saban's hat selection, leaving his thoughts on it live on the show.

"This is Indiana Jones," McAfee said as he pointed toward Saban.

This prompted "College GameDay to give the Bama legend a new nickname, using the second film of the popular franchise, "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom," as inspiration: "Alabama Jones."

"Alabama Jones And The Temple Of Boom," the show wrote on X with a photo of Saban in his hat.

When in Indiana... pic.twitter.com/Wu3EdsDmwA
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) December 20, 2024

Saban and the crew will travel to Columbus, Ohio, on Saturday morning for their second show of the week, airing at the usual time of 9:00 a.m. ET. That evening, the Ohio State Buckeyes will face the Tennessee Volunteers.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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