The college football season came to a close earlier this week when the Michigan football team defeated Washington to win the national title. One week before that game, Michigan and Alabama football battled things out in the Rose Bowl College Football Semifinal for a spot in the national title game. It was another fantastic edition of the bowl game with the richest history, and the Wolverines squeaked out an overtime victory against the Crimson Tide. What we didn't know at the time, however, was that it would be the last game that Alabama head coach Nick Saban would coach. News broke on Wednesday that the college football legend was retiring, and now, the Crimson Tide are in need of a new head coach.

First of all, even though Alabama didn't win the national title this season, this might've been the most impressive coaching job that Nick Saban has ever had. If you're a fan of the Crimson Tide, you might disagree because of all the national championship seasons that Saban had in his time with the program, but what he was able to do with this group and the turnaround that the team had was extremely impressive.

When Alabama lost to Texas football by double digits at home early in the season and then had to bench quarterback Jalen Milroe the following week at USF, everyone wrote the Crimson Tide off. They simply didn't look like a Nick Saban coached team, and they seemed destined to lose another game. They surely didn't look like a team that could knock off the two-time defending national champion Georgia Bulldogs. However, they just kept winning. The Crimson Tide took care of business week in and week out, and they eventually found themselves hoisting the SEC title trophy after knocking off the two-time defending national champion Georgia Bulldogs. That earned Alabama a spot in the College Football Playoff.

Obviously, the playoff didn't go as planned for Saban and Alabama as they fell in the Rose Bowl to Michigan, and the standard and expectation in Tuscaloosa is to win a national championship. However, if you're a Crimson Tide fan, take a step back for a minute. No matter what happens in your CFP semifinal game, it is very hard to be one of the only four teams to make the College Football Playoff. There's a reason why final fours are celebrated the way they are in college basketball. In college football, you can't lose more than one game, and sometimes even if you do lose one, your season is over. Think of all the fans that would be thrilled to have their team make the CFP just once even if it means they get blown out in the semifinal. You can't win em' all, and Alabama didn't win this year, but getting to the playoff is always something to be proud of, and Nick Saban had one of his most impressive appearances in his final season of coaching the game.

Now we are into the offseason in college football, and there were a lot of potential coaching changes that everyone had their eye on, but this was not one of them. Saban is arguably the best coach to ever do it in college football, and now Alabama has to find someone else. Good luck to whoever gets this job. You have some massive shoes to fill.

So, we know that Nick Saban is among the best college football coaches of all time. In fact, many people believe that he is the best college football coach of all time, and he certainly has a case to be. However, where does Saban rank when it comes to the best football coaches of all time, pro or college? There are a lot of greats that have left their mark on the game, and another that is getting a lot of attention right now is Bill Belichick. Both of these coaches are two of the best to do it, and let's see where they rank among this list of the top five football coaches of all time.

5. Don Shula

Don Shula is the record holder for the most all-time wins and the most regular season wins. He is a winner, and he changed the game of football with the Miami Dolphins. His turnaround of the Dolphins was also one of the most sensational coaching jobs that the sport has ever seen. Legend.

4. Vince Lombardi

When discussing the top football coaches of all time, Vince Lombardi has to be on the list. I mean, the Super Bowl's trophy is named after the guy. He is one of the best to ever do it in the NFL, and he was simply a winner. He wasn't a head coach for very long, but during a seven year stretch in his career, he won five titles. It's hard to match that.

3. Bear Bryant

Paul Bryant, better known as Bear Bryant, is arguably the best college football coach of all time. Everyone has their opinions, and a lot of people think it's him. Bryant, like Saban, led an Alabama football team that was an absolute force. He won six national championships in his career, and he is certainly one of the best to ever do it.

2. Bill Belichick

It's the end of an era in Foxboro as Belichick will no longer be the head coach of the New England Patriots. Belichick was an unstoppable force for a long time with Tom Brady, and the legendary duo went on to win six Super Bowls. The past few years haven't been as good without Brady, but it's hard to argue with six Super Bowls.

1. Nick Saban

Well, here is where Saban ranks among the all-time greats. What makes Saban so special is that he can truly win with anything, and that is why he is here at #1. Like it was previously mentioned, this season really showed what a great coach Saban is. Talent wise, this looked like one of his worst Alabama teams ever, and he was still able to take them to the College Football Playoff. It was an incredible career, and college football won't be the same without Saban.