Nick Saban says the quiet part out loud over how casual fans still feel about Indiana

Just because Nick Saban and the rest of the college football world have a ton of respect for the Indiana Hoosiers does not mean the general public feels the same way about them... While appearing on The Pat McAfee Show, Saban gave a perfect example of how college football casuals still feel about the fantastic team Curt Cignetti is building in Bloomington. It happened during a round of golf.

Saban unpacked how Indiana is still unintentionally being disrespected by the common man here...

"The guys I play golf with, we're on the first tee, and a guy looks at me and says, 'We should be able to beat Indiana. That should be a win for us.' And I said, "What are you talking about? Indiana's got a really good team.' He says, "I just can't get around my head that it's football. They're really good in basketball, but not in football.' I said, "You better get it in your head because they've been good last year, and they're really good this year.' I said, "Did you watch them beat Ohio State and how physical they played?'"

He then put it bluntly that the outside world is not ready to change its tune on the Hoosiers just yet.

"I think in the outside world, away from Indiana, people still don't have the proper respect for Indiana. Now I'm not saying that's true for Alabama's football team ... I'm just saying from a fan perspective because fans don't look at the game from a technical standpoint like we all do. Indiana is a damn good team, and I just think on a national level, people still don't see them as a great team that they are."

Here is everything that Saban had to say about Indiana while appearing on The Pat McAfee Show.

The truth might be painful, but Indiana fans knows that they are going up against a bad history here.

Nick Saban does not believe college football casuals respect Indiana

Let's make one thing clear. Not everyone follows this great sport as closely as we do. What Indiana has done over the course of the last two years is nothing short of historic. We have not seen anything quite like this before in the history of the sport. So when Saban's golf buddies in the southeast do not seem to a proper level of respect for Indiana, can you really blame them? They need to be shown of it!

Saban was absolutely right that Kalen DeBoer's Alabama staff has a ton of respect for the Hoosiers. After all, he used to be part of Tom Allen's IU staff way back in the day. We also cannot overlook the fact that Cignetti served on some of Saban's earliest staffs at Alabama. From 2007 to 2011, he was Alabama's wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator. He left for IUP to become a head coach.

So yes, everything Saban said about Indiana in the minute-and-change response to McAfee was true. It may not be what Indiana fans want to hear, but it is the reality in which we live. People outside of the state, or not in the know in the college football world, still view this as a bit of a flash in a pan. They may feel vindicated if Alabama wins the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day. They need their minds blown.

So at this time, Indiana can play the nobody believes in us card because the general public does not.