For the greater part of the last 17 years at Alabama, Saturdays meant gameday for Nick Saban.

And while that will remain the case this upcoming college football season, so to speak, it will also have a new meaning for Saban: working as an analyst on ESPN's "College GameDay."

With ESPN's award-winning college football show traveling to Dublin for No. 10 Florida State vs. Georgia Tech in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic, fans will get to watch the former Crimson Tide coach talking and breaking down college football in a new role — one that will be perhaps less stressful than deciding what play to go with on a potential game-winning drive.

Watch Nick Saban on ESPN's 'College GameDay' with Fubo (free trial)

Here's what you need to know on why Saban is appearing on 'College GameDay' Saturday in Ireland for ESPN:

Why is Nick Saban on ESPN's 'College GameDay'?

ESPN's "College GameDay" Week 0 show marks the official debut of the former Alabama football coach as part of its full-time crew.

The network announced the addition of the seven-time national championship coach as one of its analysts in February, roughly less than a month after Saban announced his retirement from coaching. He will join Rece Davis, Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard and Pat McAfee each week at the desk talking about and breaking down the biggest games and storylines in college football.

"ESPN and 'College GameDay' have played such an important role in the growth of college football, and I'm honored to have the opportunity to join their team," Saban said in a statement in February. "I'll do my best to offer additional insights and perspectives to contribute to 'College GameDay,' the ultimate Saturday tradition for college football fans."

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In the lead-up to his official "College GameDay" debut, Saban has appeared on the network's NFL draft coverage in April and on the SEC Network desk at SEC Football Media Days last month — both of which, to no surprise, received quite positive reactions from fans.

Saban has made several cameo appearances — on top of the appearances he made when the show was at a Crimson Tide game — on "College GameDay" throughout the years, including at several College Football Playoff games (when Alabama wasn't playing in them).

How to watch Nick Saban on 'College GameDay' today

• Date: Saturday, Aug. 24

• Time: 8-11 a.m. CT

• TV Channel: ESPN

• Streaming options: ESPN app | ESPN+ | Fubo (free trial)

Saban will make his official "College GameDay" debut as a full-time member of ESPN's desk on Saturday, Aug. 24 from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. CT on ESPN live from Dublin at the Aer Lingus College Football Classic.

You can stream " College GameDay"'" on the ESPN app by logging in with your TV provider credentials, on ESPN+ or on Fubo, which carries the ESPN family of networks and offers a free trial to select users.

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This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Nick Saban on 'College GameDay': Former Alabama coach makes ESPN debut