No one can argue that Alabama Head Coach Nick Saban is one of the best coaches in college football today. As with anyone at the top of their game, success breeds criticism and the inevitable trash talk goes hand-in-hand with football.  But with recent comments by rival SEC coaches, referring to Saban as the devil, some have taken offense, including Saban himself.  
The controversy began a few months ago after Vanderbilt Head Football Coach James Franklin referred to the Alabama coach as "Nicky Satan," a play on the spelling of Saban’s last name.
Then, at a banquet last week, Florida Gators Offensive Line Coach Tim Davis referred to Saban as "The devil himself." Davis had served on Saban’s staff at the NFL’s Miami Dolphins and at Alabama. 
When asked about the comments, Saban reportedly sounded hurt and said it was "disappointing," but should anyone really be offended by these comments?  After all, aren’t they really a form of flattery? 
When you are at the top of your field, there will always be those who want to bring you down, and Nick Saban is certainly resting high on a mountain throne.  In 2003 he led LSU to a BCS National Championship for only the second national title in school history.  In 2008 he was named by Forbes Magazine as "The Most Powerful Coach in Sports," and he proved his skills the following year by taking Alabama to a BCS Championship.  He would repeat the Alabama BCS win in 2011 and 2012. He and Paul "Bear" Bryant are also the only two coaches to win an SEC championship at two different school.
Winning just in the SEC is a feat all unto itself. One of the biggest advantages, and disadvantages, to playing in the SEC, is that you have to play other SEC teams.  Being good in this conference, a conference that consistently sees four even five teams in the top 10 of the national rankings, means you are great in college football. 
With such a winning record Saban has made himself a target, but these coaches are not there to make Saban feel good about himself, they are there to fire up their team, and to get the fans into the game.  Trash talk is part of it, and if you think about it, if they’re not talking about you, then they don’t really fear your abilities. 
Saban should feel good that he’s a target to so many around the SEC.  It means he is the coach they all aspire to beat.  They don’t really think he’s the devil, but, then again, it seems Saban was born on Halloween in 1951.