Cover Story: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images


Head coach Nick Saban leads an undefeated Alabama team into the  SEC Championship Game against the University of Georgia on Saturday afternoon.


That's the same Georgia team that Alabama edged out to win the National Championship last season -- a team that's led by Kirby Smart, one of the many former assistants in Saban's extensive coaching tree.


His former assistants, from his time at Alabama, LSU, Michigan State, and even the Miami Dolphins, are sprinkled throughout college football and the NFL, but their success in the coaching ranks doesn't translate to when they face their former boss. Saban has faced his former assistants 15 times in games, where they're both head coaches, and he's gone 15-0 against them.

And it hasn't been close. Saban has beaten his former assistants by a combined score of 615-192, an average score of 41-12 in those contests. But Saban has missed covering the spread in four of those 15 games.


Saban extended this unusual streak earlier this season with wins over Jimbo Fisher and Texas A&M (Sept. 22: Alabama 45, Texas A&M 23), Billy Napier and Louisiana (Sept. 29: Alabama 56, Louisiana 14), and Jeremy Pruitt and Tennessee (Oct. 21: Alabama 58, Tennessee 21).


Sitting at 12-0, Alabama hasn't been perfect in one aspect this season -- covering the spread. They've come up short in one-third of their games.

With Saban and Alabama getting Georgia today as -470 moneyline favorites, bettors may want to fade the 12-point spread, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. And if the past is any indication of the future, it might be worth risking the close to 5-to-1 odds in order to guarantee a win -- as long as you trust Saban to continue dominating his disciples.​​

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