Nick Saban Thinks Texas And Oklahoma Make SEC 'Stronger Than Ever'
Nick Saban's words speak volumes in the Southeastern Conference. College football, in general, if one were to be honest.
So when asked about Texas and Oklahoma joining the SEC come 2024, the six-time national champion kept things real, rather than create drama-filled headlines that could be used as bulletin board material this time next fall.
"I think it’s a great addition to the SEC,” Saban said at SEC Media Days in downtown Nashville. “You have two great programs that have great traditions that have great fan support. I think it just continues to sort of — the map of the SEC, it is stronger than ever."
Texas has been on Saban's mind for years. The dynasty in Tuscaloosa kicked off with a win over Mack Brown and the Longhorns at the Rose Bowl in 2009 behind exceptional defensive play and the legs of Heisman winner Mark Ingram. When Brown resigned from Texas, a phone call was made three states over to inquire about Saban's status.
Of course, nothing came of the noise and the Longhorns hired Louisville's Charlie Strong instead. Then Houston's Tom Herman. Then Alabama offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian. Meanwhile, Saban picked up three more national titles to bring his total with the Crimson Tide to six and seven overall.
Whether or not Saban truly considered heading to the Forty Acres, there's always been a sense of respect from his end. It's a respect that proved the addition of two new programs to create two new super conferences starting next fall was a positive for the sport in general.
"It’s going to be even more challenging because you’ve got two really, really good programs who have consistently, if you look at the past, have been, you know, Top-10 programs for a lot of years, won national championships," said Saban.
The Tide finished 11-2 last fall under Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young, keeping Saban's double-digit regular season win streak alive for another year. Texas, however, came close to ending it last season at Royal-Memorial Stadium in Week 2 behind freshman sensation Quinn Ewers.
Ewers, who enters 2023 with Heisman and first-round buzz, was slicing and dicing through drives before a shoulder injury nearing the end of the first quarter sidelined him the remainder of the game. Hudson Card and defense performed admirably to keep things close, but a late run from Young led to a game-winning field goal from Will Reichard for a 20-19 win.
“This is like playing an SEC game on the road," said Saban postgame.
The Crimson Tide enter their 17th season under the seven-time champion with a target on their back and perhaps the SEC West's "other team." LSU, who defeated Alabama on a last-second two-point conversion in overtime, is expected to be the SEC West division favorite.
Meanwhile, Saban finds himself in an unusual spot with an inexperienced roster but College Football Playoff among the conference favorites.
“I think experience matters. I really do,” Saban said. “But I also think when you have young players who are hungry and have great energy and enthusiasm, that’s helpful to the team chemistry as well.”
Experience won't be in his favor once Texas rolls into town in Week 2, but Saban is a master of building a plan for opponents weekly. He knows his execution can't be flawed against the Big 12 preseason favorites if he expects to remain undefeated to start the year for a 17th straight season.
"They are doing an outstanding job of recruiting and developing the players on their team and it’s going to be a real challenging game, no doubt, because they have a lot of starters back and they have a lot of experience coming back and an experienced quarterback," said Saban.
"We expect them to have an outstanding team.”
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