📡 Nick Saban believes SEC is losing one of its historical advantages over Big Ten - 247Sports

[SEC Sports]

Nick Saban believes SEC is losing one of its historical advantages over Big Ten

Former Alabama coach Nick Saban spoke Friday to the recent successes of the Big Ten over the SEC.

247sports.com

The past two national champions in college football have come from the Big Ten, and former Alabama coach Nick Saban believes there is a reason behind the SEC's loosening grip on the top of the sport.

"I think that the SEC was the SEC because of the culture in the South," Saban said Friday on the Pat McAfee Show. "There wasn't professional football in the South for a long time. Everybody related to the colleges, OK? We talked about that before. Now that doesn't matter. Kids grew up wanting to go to LSU. Kids grew up wanting to go to Alabama. Kids grew up wanting to go to Georgia.

Continued Saban, rubbing his fingers together: "You got the money now. Aight? They don't mind going to Ohio State. They don't mind going to other places. That geographic advantage the Southeastern Conference had is maybe changing a little bit now with a different culture, with name, image and likeness and money involved in decision-making. I think that's created a little bit of an edge for the Big Ten."

Saban also pointed to athletic departments and boosters in the Big Ten having deeper pockets than those in the SEC.

"I think Texas and Texas A&M probably have that kind of old-fashioned money," he said. "A lot of the schools in the Southeastern Conference don't have that kind of old-time generational wealth."

Ohio State defeated SEC opponent Texas last Saturday, and the Big Ten and SEC will face off again this Saturday when Oklahoma hosts Michigan in Norman.

But Saban is not viewing the game through the lens of the two conferences, just the two schools.

"I never think about that -- I just kind of look at the teams," he said. "But there is a rivalry there between the SEC and Big Ten that can't be denied."

 

[Rolltide24]

SEC is now the sorority juggernaut. Football, maybe not so much as in the past. Hard to believe we didn’t have a team in the championship game the last two seasons.

 

[musso]

we didn’t have a team in the championship game the last two seasons.

Which makes me all the more disappointed that the SEC decided to add a 9th conference game. Even if the Committee takes that into account with their playoff seeding, our teams will be more battered and worn entering the playoff. Plus, expanding the playoff just means additional quality opponents and injuries, at a time when NIL and the portal is making depth even thinner for every team. I just don’t agree with the SEC’s decision, at all!