Nick Saban took home seven national championships and 11 SEC titles over the course of his impressive runs at LSU and Alabama, including a conference title with the Crimson Tide in his final season last year. Saban, now serving as a college football analyst for ESPN, makes no bones about how he feels about the Southeastern Conference.
During an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show live from Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta ahead of Saturday's SEC championship game between No. 2 Texas and No. 5 Georgia, Saban explained why college football is king in the Southeast and sold the importance of the SEC championship, even in a year in which it isn't expected to have serious College Football Playoff ramifications.
"I think the SEC championship is one of the most outstanding, competitive venues in the country," said Saban. "And I think it's because of the passion that people in the Southeast have for football, and I think that comes form the fact that there were no pro sports in the South until the 1970s. ... Everybody in the Southeast grew up being a college football fan. That's not necessarily true up north.
"That's what makes the Southeast people have so much passion for the game, and I think that's what makes the conference what it is. And those outstanding stadiums and those outstanding fanbases and that great passion makes people want to play in this league, which makes this game a great game."
"I think the SEC championship is one of the most outstanding, competitive venues in the country."
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) December 6, 2024
Nick Saban on what makes the SEC stand out ✍️ @PatMcAfeeShow pic.twitter.com/0GFjdHxudx
Texas, with its 11–1 record (the sole loss coming to Georgia) is a virtual lock to reach the College Football Playoff regardless of Saturday's result. Georgia is largely being treated the same way after the selection committee ranked the Bulldogs at No. 5, even with its 10–2 record. Even so, Saban says that the SEC championship is often more competitive than the national championship, and brought up an example from 2012 that any Notre Dame fans tuning into McAfee would rather not hear about for the millionth time.
"Sometimes the games here were harder than the national championship," said Saban. "We played Georgia, I think we were [ranked No.] one and they were three, the year we played Notre Dame in the national championship. It's the last play of the game, they got the ball on the 7-yard line, we tackle the guy [Georgia receiver Chris Conley] and the clock runs out. ... We go play Notre Dame and it was 28–0 at halftime. So it's always a tough game, it was a playoff game here."
The 2012 SEC championship is an all-time great college football game, and some of those Alabama-Georgia battles in Atlanta have been incredibly close. Saban's point hasn't always held up, however. His teams went 11–1 in SEC championships, with an average margin of victory of more than 13 points, while his national championship appearances were decided by an average of just over six points.
Even so, the SEC championship game is a major point of pride, CFP ramifications or not. Expect the Longhorns and Bulldogs to be plenty motivated on Saturday.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Nick Saban Masterfully Explains Why SEC Football Is Different.
