It's not uncommon for ESPN to bring comedians on College GameDay as a celebrity guest picker. And when that happens, the vibe on set is supposed to be, well, comedic. That didn't exactly jell with Nick Saban.

When comedian Shane Gillis appeared on "College GameDay" in December, he cracked a joke about Nick Saban cheating at Alabama. Earlier this week, he opened up about his rift with the legendary college football coach.

Real-mad or play-mad? Either way, the tense confrontation between the Hall of Fame coach and superstar comedian was a win for all involved.

One of the best moments of the new College Football Playoff didn't happen on the field, but rather on the ESPN College GameDay set when comedian Shane Gillis seemed to anger Nick Saban with a joke about how SEC teams paid players for years.