There may not be a coach in college football history who is more synonymous with its postseason than Nick Saban.

And when it comes to Group of Five teams being a part of the College Football Playoff, the 7-time national champion head coach’s stance is clear.

Appearing on Thursday’s episode of The Pat McAfee Show, Saban helped preview the upcoming 12-team tournament, which will feature two schools from non-power conferences in Tulane and James Madison. Suffice it to say, the former Alabama head coach isn’t a fan of smaller programs getting in at the expense of the sport’s traditional powers, as he used an eyebrow-raising analogy to make his point.

“Here’s my my thing about this: I mean, look, would would we allow the winner of the AAA baseball league… would you let them in into the World Series playoffs?” Saban said. “That’s the equivalent of what we do when JMU gets into the College Football Playoff and Notre Dame doesn’t. I mean, I don’t want to start any sh*t here, but it is.”

McAfee stated that there were plenty of people in support of letting one Group of Five team into the College Football Playoff once it expanded to a field of 12. However, the circumstances of this year’s field — primarily ACC champion Duke not being selected — resulted in two Group of Five schools getting in, leading many to reexamine their stances.

Asked if he believes that will result in change to the selection process, Saban replied, “I hope so. I hope we learn each year from this how we can make it better.” But after producer Tony Digs noted that both Notre Dame and Duke would have gotten in under rules that are already set to go into effect next year, Saban expressed his belief that won’t necessarily make the field any better, as he’d simply like to just see the most-deserving teams.

“If you’re not in the top-15, I don’t care what league you play in, you shouldn’t be in the playoff. JMU, whoever it is,” he said. “If you’re not in the top-15, power [conference], Group of Five, it doesn’t matter. Because you’re taking somebody out of the playoffs that deserves to be in the playoffs. You can think about it one way: that you’re letting somebody from the Group of Five in. But you’re also taking somebody that should be in out. And that’s not fair.

“That was my whole point about, ‘would we let the AAA baseball team who wins their baseball league play for the World Series? That doesn’t happen. It’s a different league. These guys ought to have their own playoff. It’s all about money. Just give them the money.”

Saban’s baseball analogy is a clumsy one; most obviously AAA teams don’t play MLB teams the way Group of Five teams consistently play (and sometimes even beat) schools from power conferences during the regular season. But while he’ll undoubtedly take heat for his comments (and perhaps deservedly so), he’s at last consistent in saying that he merely wants to see the most-deserving teams in the playoff, whether that means leaving out teams from the Group of Five or power conferences.

Clearly, the College Football Playoff will continue to evolve and it’s only a matter of time until it inevitability expands. To Saban’s point about a potential Group of Five playoff, the best way to predict where any of this is heading it typically to follow the money.