It’s no secret that Nick Saban is a bit biased toward the SEC after coaching in the conference for the past two decades before retiring and becoming a college football analyst for ESPN. This week, he took a not-so-subtle shot at the Big Ten Conference while praising the SEC.
During an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show this week, Saban claimed that the Big Ten is just “three good teams at the top, then nothing” compared to the SEC.
‘Three good teams at the top, then nothing’
During an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show this week, Pat McAfee asked Saban if he felt like the SEC was even deeper this year than it was last season, bringing up the stellar performance by Mississippi State Bulldogs quarterback KaMario Taylor.
Saban took the opportunity to throw in a not-so-subtle jab at the Big Ten while praising the SEC.
“We’ve already got nine teams in the top-25,” Saban said on the show, via On3. “It’s not like the Big Ten where there’s three good teams at the top and then nothing.”
The three good teams that Saban is referring to are, of course, Ohio State, Indiana, and Oregon, all of which are ranked in the top 10.
A valid criticism?
While it’s certainly a strong statement, Saban might actually have a point.
The SEC has gotten off to a strong start to the 2026 season, as all 16 teams from the conference opened the year with a victory. The vast majority of those victories came against Group of 5 or FCS opponents, but Ole Miss did beat Louisville 41-38, Auburn beat Baylor 17-16, and LSU blew out Clemson 51-10.
The Big Ten, meanwhile, struggled a bit to open the year. Rutgers opened Week 1 with a stunning 37-21 loss to UMass in what might be its most embarrassing loss of all time. Oregon pulled away from Boise State late at home, Wisconsin was blown out 41-13 by No. 4 Notre Dame, and No. 16 Michigan needed a controversial late-game touchdown to beat Western Michigan.
The good news for the Big Ten, however, is that the top of the conference has been dominant the past few years, as a Big Ten team has won the national championship in each of the past three seasons, while the SEC has not even appeared in a national title game since the 2022 season.
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