Nick Saban's Impressive Streak Among College Football's Most 'Unbreakable Records'
Nick Saban's Impressive Streak Among College Football's Most 'Unbreakable Records' originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
From 1997 to 2006, the Alabama Crimson Tide finished the season ranked in the AP Poll just three times. Outside of a Cotton Bowl win in 2005, Alabama had just one other bowl victory while cycling through three head coaches.
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Enter head coach Nick Saban in 2007, and after a subpar first season, Alabama would go on to win six national championships in 17 years, finishing ranked in the top ten every season without exception.
Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban against the LSU Tigers.Butch Dill-Imagn Images
Saban's tenacity toward the fundamentals and his desire for perfection transformed the Crimson Tide into a nearly two-decade-long dynasty, with the bench boss compiling a 206-39 record during his tenure in Tuscaloosa. Considered by many to be one of the best coaches in modern sports, ESPN recently suggested one of Saban's many accomplishments to be 'unbreakable.'
On Wednesday, ESPN ranked their most unbreakable college football records, including Nick Saban's run of beating unranked opponents during his tenure with the Tide. Under the guidance of Saban, Alabama rattled off an incredible 100 straight victories against unraked foes.
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Following three unranked losses in 2007, Saban and Alabama did not fall against another unraked team until 2021 in a 41-38 road loss against the Texas A&M Aggies. Saban would coach another two years, never again losing to an unranked squad.
No other team has sniffed Alabama's run of 100-straight wins against an unranked opponent. The Florida Gators have the second-longest such streak at 73 games from 1990 to 2000. The Miami Hurricanes also have an impressive streak, winning 72 such games from 1985 to 1995.
Related: AJ McCarron Predicts Alabama's Starting QB Without Hesitation
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 19, 2025, where it first appeared.
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