LSU_SABAN_9085268.JPG

Nick Saban coached at Michigan State from 1995-99.

(Associated Press file)

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama — Nick Saban said he would have loved to play his former employer in a few seasons, but understands why Alabama canceled its home-and-home series with Michigan State on Thursday.

Speaking on his weekly radio show, Saban repeated athletics director Bill Battle's sentiments concerning the potential nine-game SEC schedule. The games were scheduled for 2015 in Tuscaloosa and 2016 in East Lansing.

But there were financial considerations as well.

"What are we going to do with all of these neutral-site games that we have gotten into playing one every year, which continues to be an option for us in the future," Saban said. "We play West Virginia next year in Atlanta and Wisconsin the next year in Dallas. And those games our kids really enjoy."

And from a business standpoint and a financial standpoint, they're much more beneficial than playing home and home with someone because we get paid every year, not just the year we play at home. So it's twice as good from a business standpoint."

Both teams who play in the neutral-site games get multi-million dollar payouts from sponsors for their participation.

The last true home-and-home Alabama played involved Penn State in 2010 and 2011. Alabama also put off its home and home with Georgia Tech scheduled for 2019 and 2020.

"So, even though emotionally, in my heart and for all the good relationships and friends we have at Michigan State," Saban said, "We'd love to play that series, it just probably doesn't make much business sense to hang on to it right now relative to some of the other options and question marks that we have relative to the future."