If you haven’t been living under a rock during the last 24 hours, Alabama head coach Nick Saban — arguably the greatest college coach in the sport’s history — announced his retirement yesterday.
If unfamiliar, you can google Saban’s resume. It is second to none.
Historically, these massive coaching transitions didn’t mean much for Wisconsin football and the Big Ten West bubble. The Badgers still operated the same way, nobody was entering to take their recruits or coaches and matchups with the top powers were seldom scheduled.
Well, that bubble is gone as the Big Ten welcomes Oregon, USC, Washington and UCLA and the sport moves toward a two superconference structure. Wisconsin, whether ready or not, must exist on the same plane as the sport’s powers.
So, Saban’s retirement has several effects on the present and future of Wisconsin football. Here they are, succinctly: