Behind the electrifying atmosphere of colliding players, flying footballs, and shouting coaches, some systematic issues lie. What can you do with NIL, which started a third-party dealing that schools have hijacked now? What about the uneven matches that the likes of Notre Dame and Penn State play in a regular season? These glaring inconsistencies loom in the backdrop, and there is one way to fix it all, or at least James Franklin believes it so—to get a college football commissioner. While he has actively campaigned for Nick Saban to take up the role, it’s not working out well for him. So, he has a Plan B—to get the backups.

Franklin has ignited the heated discussion around the role, and, for him, the former Alabama head coach is the right fit. He declared a week ago, “I think Nick Saban would be the obvious choice if we made that decision.” You must have read this headline, too. And it’s a tempting idea. One of the most coveted men in college football history comes back to fix it and save it. But hold on to your horses. That’s not happening.

The 52-year-old coach addressed his bid in the media interaction as he prepared for the coming Orange Bowl. He again reiterated his frustration with the Fighting Irish’s odd regular season schedule. Continuing that, he said, “I was on a call the other day with Nick Saban, and he wasn’t really happy about me promoting him for the commissioner of college football.”

However, Franklin stressed the need for the post. He declared, “But I think we need that. I think we need somebody that is looking at [it] from a big-picture perspective.” But who is there if Saban is not looking to make a comeback and put an end to his retirement? It seems Franklin has already put the onus on the likes of Chris Peterson and Dave Clawson.

Franklin added. “Whether that is Nick Saban or whether that is Chris Peterson. Or whether that is Dave Clawson, who I think is a really, really smart football guy. I think having somebody in that position would be valuable for our sport. For our students.” But why is there a push for Saban? Is he really the man to pull the college football out of the crisis and nudge it to glory? There are some doubts.

Is Nick Saban the ideal chair?

Well, you should know that the likes of Pat McAfee and Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin have already lent their support to Saban. But then you have Shaun King, who specified how biases of coaches coming from big conferences could rue smaller teams and conferences. Would you see a Boise State in the CFB playoffs? That’s doubtful He declared, “If you think it was SEC bias without Nick Saban being the chair, oh man. If Saban was the chair, South Carolina, Alabama [and] Ole Miss, all would have been in the 12. Trust me.”

Then you have Kirby Smart. The Georgia head coach took a middle ground as he questioned the position’s need. But if it were to be created, he was happy to see Saban take it. Why? Because an already governing structure is in place. You have the conferences, the NCAA, and the courts. Smart argued, “I think a commissioner would be a nice thing in theory. But what can they effectively get done if everybody can’t agree on something?” So, the opinion is divided and varied about the CFB commissioner and its needs. But even you would agree that there is a pressing need to bring some changes and uniformity.