Former Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban left his mark on college football in countless ways before retiring two seasons ago, but his influence has rarely been more visible than it is during this College Football Playoff.

Headed into the quarterfinal round of the 12-team field, more than half of the eight teams remaining were coached by former assistants of Saban at Alabama. As fate would have it, the final four wound up being all Saban disciples.

With Indiana and head coach Curt Cignetti — a former wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator in Tuscaloosa — cruising over former Alabama graduate assistant Dan Lanning and his Oregon Ducks to the national title game, they enter as a heavy favorite.

Standing in Cignetti’s way from completing one of the most improbable college football stories in history is former Crimson Tide offensive line coach Mario Cristobal and his Miami Hurricanes, who have made their own surprising run to the title game after barely making the playoff field.

Cignetti against Cristobal guarantees that someone who coached under Saban will win the title, something which may be a tough pill for Alabama fans to swallow after they opted not to go with a coach from his tree in order to replace the greatest of all time.

Regardless, it is more clear than ever just how influential Saban was in the sport of college football, and his lasting legacy will be displayed through the coaches who cut their teeth and were forged in the fires of working for him.