The one time Nick Saban got fired

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Editor's note: A version of this story originally ran Aug. 19, 2016. It has been republished following news that Nick Saban will retire.

It's the day before New Year's Eve in Memphis, Tennessee, and no one from Ohio State wants what's about to happen. The team that tied for the Big Ten championship and is ranked 15th in the AP Poll has somehow wound up stuck in the 1981 Liberty Bowl. The matchup against unranked Navy isn't inspiring. The weather isn't even nice: 30 degrees at kickoff with rain on the way. The coaching staff can see it in some of the players' eyes that they don't want to be there, struggling to find their footing, slipping on the turf as well…