When was the last time Nick Saban lost 3 games in a season? Looking back at the NCAA records of the Alabama head coach

Alabama Crimson Tide Head Coach Nick Saban is considered a legend because he's been at the helm of several of the greatest teams the gridiron has ever seen. Everyone expects him to keep running the show in the upcoming 2023 CFB season.

This article intends to answer the question, has Saban lost 3 games in a regular season? Sure, a season isn't a clear indicator of success, the playoffs matter more. But when he does lose, Saban makes it his mission to bounce back in games, without a doubt.

Has Nick Saban lost 3 games in a season?

Yes, Nick Saban had lost 3 games in a season with the Alabama Crimson Tide in 2010 (via DraftKings). They lost to LSU and Auburn in close games and fell to South Carolina via a two-touchdown margin. It's also worth noting that these three teams were ranked that season.

That 2010 season, however, wasn't as bad. Alabama was undefeated during their first five games, one of which was ever close (their victory vs. #10 Arkansas). The other four teams (San Jose State, Penn State, Duke, and Florida) were destroyed.

Eventually, Alabama dropped that game vs. #19 South Carolina 21-35. But their two bounce-back wins were, once again, basically blowouts. Then they lost to LSU at the iconic Tiger Stadium, 21-24 (which is completely understandable), once again destroyed Mississippi State and Georgia State, dropped to Auburn, and finished Michigan State off with a 49-7 drubbing.

Bounceback games are Saban's 'speciality'

Looking back at Alabama's 2010 campaign, you might notice that Nick Saban would coach his teams to a blowout or near blowouts almost every time after they lost a match. According to SaturdayDownSouth, when Saban loses, he gets to coach his players "with a full attention span."

So while Crimson Tide fans do expect another winning season from Nick Saban, they also expect bounceback wins to be big if they lose.

A winning pedigree

Saban has a college football coaching record of 285-69-1. He ranks 16th on the list of coaches with overall wins, giving the legend a sky-high win percentage of .804. Although other coaches have won more games than him, no D1 coach has beaten him in victories and win percentage. Top that off with seven national championships in total, a truly legendary shot-caller is waiting to shine.