Nick Saban no longer coaches in the SEC, but he works for the conference’s broadcast partner (ESPN), and it shows.
In response to a question about whether the SEC was getting deeper this year, Saban pointed out the larger number of SEC teams in the top 25. In addition, to claiming that the Big 10, the conference that has won the last three national championships, has only three good teams “at the top” and “nothing” after that.
“We’ve already got nine teams in the top-25,” Saban told ESPN’s Pat McAfee. “It’s not like the Big Ten where there’s three good teams at the top and then nothing.”
True, the Big Ten isn’t off to a great start.
Michigan “won” a highly controversial game against Western Michigan on what, by all rights, appears to be the gift of an extra play by Big 10 replay officials. Wisconsin got blown out by Notre Dame, and Oregon got all they could handle from a tough Boise State squad that nearly beat them.
Meanwhile, the SEC started 16-0.
Big caveats exist, though: 13 of those 16 SEC squads beat FCS schools or teams outside the Power 4.
Still, coffee is for closers, and the Big Ten has closed the last three seasons as the national champion.
Yet, Saban isn’t convinced that winning the natty means you’re the best conference.
“I think the only reason people are talking about this is (the SEC) dominated for so long, and we were so good, everybody makes a big deal out of being able to beat us,” Saban stated during SEC media days. “That doesn’t mean they’re better than us, and that doesn’t mean that just because you win the championship that you have a better conference. It just means you have one better team.”
Yes and no.
Yes, the Big Ten had one team that was better than all others. But the Big Ten has won the national championship each of the last three years with a different team (Michigan, Ohio State, and Indiana), strongly suggesting considerable depth in the conference.
In any event, Saban is proving as adept in his new job as he was in his old one, as he serves up plenty of clickable debate fodder before the SEC vs. Big Ten question gets settled on the field this weekend when #1 Ohio State takes on #4 Texas.