A legendary coach retired. Two years later, Nick Saban's influence still rules college football.

Hours before a College Football Playoff quarterfinal began Thursday, 74-year-old Nick Saban sat on an ESPN stage constructed inside the Rose Bowl, in the corner of an end zone, in Pasadena, California.

Hours before a College Football Playoff quarterfinal began Thursday, 74-year-old Nick Saban sat on an ESPN stage constructed inside the Rose Bowl, in the corner of an end zone, in Pasadena, California.

Since Saban retired from Alabama in 2024, having won more national championships than any coach in college football's modern era, and began working as a television commentator, his perspective on game days has changed.

But as the playoff's results have proven, his influence on what takes place between the lines remains as strong as ever.

Miami, Oregon, Indiana and Ole Miss are the last four teams standing in the College Football Playoff, and all have one thing in common: Their head coaches once worked for Saban.

Alabama head coach Nick Saban reacts during the Rose Bowl CFP semifinal against Michigan, in Pasadena, Calif., on Jan. 1, 2024.Kyusung Gong / AP fileLed by Mario Cristobal, Miami soundly defeated reigning national champion Ohio State in a playoff quarterfinal Wednesday. In the semifinals next week the Hurricanes will face Ole Miss, where former Alabama defensive coordinator Pete Golding was promoted to the top job last month — only after another former Saban assistant left the school.