Retired college football coach Nick Saban has weighed in on the ongoing debate about conference strength, asserting that the Southeastern Conference (SEC) is deeper than the Big Ten Conference. Saban, speaking on ESPN's "The Pat McAfee Show," made the remarks ahead of a highly anticipated matchup between No. 1 Ohio State of the Big Ten and No. 4 Texas of the SEC.
"We’ve already got nine teams in the top 25," Saban said, referring to the SEC's presence in the Associated Press rankings. "It’s not like the Big Ten who has three good teams at the top and then nothing."
As of the comments, the SEC had nine teams ranked in the AP Top 25: No. 2 Georgia, No. 4 Texas, No. 8 LSU, No. 9 Ole Miss, No. 10 Texas A&M, No. 11 Oklahoma, No. 12 Alabama, No. 18 Tennessee, and No. 23 Missouri. The Big Ten had six teams ranked: No. 1 Ohio State, No. 5 Indiana, No. 6 Oregon, No. 14 USC, No. 16 Penn State, and No. 19 Washington. Saban's comment implies he does not view USC, Penn State, and Washington as national title contenders.
Despite Saban's assessment, Big Ten teams have won the last three national championships, with Michigan, Ohio State, and Indiana securing titles, ending the SEC's four-year championship run. The SEC has not had a team in the national title game during that period.
Both Ohio State and Texas are aiming for national championship contention. The Buckeyes' 2025 season ended with a College Football Playoff quarterfinal loss to Miami, while Texas, despite having quarterback Arch Manning, did not qualify for the tournament. Texas is a slight 1.5-point home favorite in the upcoming game.
Saban, who spent five years with Michigan State, a Big Ten program, from 1994 to 1999 before moving to the SEC, won one national title with LSU and six with Alabama during his college coaching career.