of the SEC Championship game at the Georgia Dome on December 6, 2014 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Nick Saban trashes the media following Lane Kiffin departure

Nick Saban uses a familiar tactic to deflect attention from a burning issue

Lane Kiffin's exit as the offensive coordinator for the Alabama Crimson Tide is undeniably weird. It would not have been crazy had Kiffin opted to bolt for his new heading coaching position at FAU before bowl season and, frankly, it would've been just fine if he stayed with the Tide through the National Title game. What is bizarre, though, is that Kiffin is out of the mix with just one game left to play.

To that end, Nick Saban has been continuously asked about the "mutual" decision that netted Kiffin the door in favor of Steve Sarkisian as the team's play-caller. While that might seem like an obvious thing, Saban has not taken kindly to the treatment and, now, he is pointing the finger back at the media.

This is an easy deflection point for Saban in that aiming the ire of a head coach at the media is a story in and of itself. Throw in the fact that Alabama's head coach also involves the opposing coach in Clemson's Dabo Swinney and this is a ready-made tale for the media to discuss.

What isn't up for debate is that Kiffin's exit from Tuscaloosa is one of the weirder college football stories in recent memory and speculation about its on-field impact for the biggest game of them all will continue.