Nick Saban Predicts Massive College Football Upset on Saturday

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Max Escarpio | Last updated Dec 7, 2024 1:19 PM ET

College football's conference title weekend is under way, with several top-ranked teams looking to punch their ticket to the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff.

While many fans have their eyes set on major battles in the Power Four conferences like the SEC with No. 2 Texas and No. 5 Georgia, the ESPN "College GameDay" crew highlighted an interesting HBCU matchup on Saturday.

The Jackson State Tigers and Southern Jaguars were set to go head-to-head for the SWAC championship in Jackson, Mississippi.

Jackson State, the No. 1 team in the SWAC, entered the game as a 13-point favorite, per Action Network betting odds.

Despite the betting lines and the Tigers' incredible momentum, riding an eight-game win streak with an 8-0 conference record, "College GameDay" analyst Nick Saban predicted an upset.

Saban predicted the Jaguars to defeat the Tigers, given his ties to Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

"I'm going to go with Southern, because they're in Baton Rouge," Saban said. "I was rooting for Southern when I was at LSU. So, I'm going with Southern today."

Saban served as the head coach of the LSU Tigers from 2000-04, leading the program to a national title in 2003.

College Gameday makes their picks on who’s brining home the SWAC Championship Today!

Jackson State Vs Southern University for a trip to the Celebration Bowl! Kick off is at 2PM EST on ESPN 2

Who do you have winning? pic.twitter.com/jCk0K1DuCb
— HBCU Gameday (@HBCUGameday) December 7, 2024

Jackson State and Southern met earlier this season, in Week 3, with the Tigers picking up a 33-15 victory. That marked Jackson State's fifth straight win against the Jaguars.

They have also faced off in the SWAC Championship Game before, with the Tigers defeating the Jaguars 43-24 in 2022.

Jackson State has been a dominant force in the SWAC for several years now, winning two of the last three conference title games.

The last time the Jaguars won the SWAC title was in 2013, so they had a real chance to dethrone the juggernauts of the conference on Saturday.

Jackson State rode much of its success under head coach Deion Sanders, who is now with the Colorado Buffaloes. Sanders served as the head coach of the program from 2020-22.

Sanders' former offensive coordinator, T.C. Taylor, is now the head coach of the Tigers, leading the team to the SWAC title game in his second year at the helm.

Taylor has benefited from a couple of standouts on both sides of the field, having the Offensive Player of the Year, running back Irvin Mulligan, and co-Defensive Player of the Year in Ckelby Givens.

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

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