Nick Saban’s Best Bowl Games — #4 2000 Peach Bowl

It seems as though Nick Saban has been the king of college football for a lifetime, that the minute he put on a head set he was the most sought after coach in the game. However, that is not quite the case. Although some may find it hard to believe, there was a time when Nick Saban was not a big name in college football. He had to work his way up from the bottom, trying to make a name for himself just like any other coach.

Nick Saban began his head coaching career at Toledo, then after one good season Michigan State came calling. He spent five years in East Lansing before it was time to take another step up the ladder.

After Michigan State's 1999 regular season, Nick Saban landed his first SEC coaching gig with LSU. While Saban showed promise, doing well at Michigan State and Toledo before that, he had yet to win a bowl game. Even though his coaching résumé was somewhat average up to that point, the struggling Tigers needed a reboot and Nick Saban proved to be the man they needed to get it done. LSU took a chance on Saban, and it paid off far better then they could have ever dreamed.

Coming in at number four on our list is LSU's 28-14 Peach Bowl victory over Georgia Tech. 

Losing his first three, this was Saban's first bowl victory. The seemingly-elusive first win was just the tip of the ice berg, but it is the one that started it all, setting into motion an avalanche of bowl success. The Peach Bowl was a stepping stone that would take him from being a coach who struggled in bowl games, to one of the greatest bowl coaches of all time. These days there are few that would bet against Saban with a month to prepare.

No matter how successful a coach turns out to be, any coach's first bowl win is an important milestone. Even with all of the national titles now under his belt, I'd bet somewhere between his Little Debbies and drive to work, Nick Saban occasionally looks back on his first win with fond memories.