7 Head Coaches That Have Shockingly Gotten the Best of Nick Saban in Career Head-to-Head Record

Updated: Sep 10, 5:00pm UTC

While most younger college football fans might simply think of Nick Saban and the incredible dynasty he has built with the Alabama Crimson Tide being practically unbeatable, that was far from the case during his tenure in East Lansing with the Michigan State Spartans.

Although, not all of the following names made this list thanks to Saban's early days in the Big Ten. Keeping that in mind, here's a look at the seven college football head coaches with the best head-to-head career records against Saban.

*Note: All opposing head coaches with winning records against Nick Saban included below are limited to those that have faced a Saban-led opponent more than one time.

Coaches With Winning Record Against Nick Saban

7. Tommy Tuberville (.571)

6. Barry Alvarez (.600)

Barry Alvarez Record vs Nick Saban: (2-1)
All-Time Matchups:
- 1995: Wisconsin 45 | Michigan State 14
- 1996: Wisconsin 13 | Michigan State 30
- 1999: Wisconsin 40 | Michigan State 10

5. Lloyd Carr (.600)

4. Steve Spurrier (.750)

Steve Spurrier Record vs Nick Saban: (3-1)
All-Time Matchups:
- 2000: Florida 41 | LSU 9
- 2001: Florida 44 | LSU 15
- 2009: South Carolina 6 | Alabama 20
- 2010: South Carolina 35 | Alabama 21

3. Hayden Fry (1.000)

Hayden Fry Record vs Nick Saban: (2-0)
All-Time Matchups:
- 1995: Iowa 21 | Michigan State 7
- 1996: Iowa 37 | Michigan State 30

2. Tom Osborne (1.000)

Tom Osbourne Record vs Nick Saban: (2-0)
All-Time Matchups:
- 1995: Nebraska 50 | Michigan State 10
- 1996: Nebraska 55 | Michigan State 14

1. Joe Tiller (1.000)

Joe Tiller Record vs Nick Saban: (3-0)
All-Time Matchups:
- 1997: Purdue 22 | Michigan State 21
- 1998: Purdue 25 | Michigan State 24
- 1999: Purdue 52 | Michigan State 28

Sign up for FanDuel Sportsbook today and get your first bet risk free for up to $500!

David Hayes is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, David Hayes also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username DavidWHayes. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.