Colin Cowherd Highlights How Nick Saban 'Screwed' the SEC

“That he was such a disruptor and so dominant that Nick kinda screwed the whole conference up. Like if you couldn't beat Nick, they were gonna flush out [coaches]... It's like, 'Guys ... that's the best program in the history of the sport.’”

His point was clear: Saban set an unreachable bar, and it broke the patience of athletic departments across the SEC. Programs cycled through head coaches, hoping to find the next Saban-killer, only to fall further behind.

Auburn, Tennessee, Florida, and even LSU went through multiple transitions trying to match Alabama’s consistency, but few could hold ground long enough to build real momentum.

SEC’s Talent Edge Has Faded in Post-Saban Era

Klatt added his perspective, focusing on how structural changes have hit the SEC hard. “The transfer portal has created a disparity of talent, rather than a stockpile of talent in three, four places,” Klatt said. “It used to be Georgia and Alabama had NFL players at first string, second string and third string. Their two-deep could probably beat your starters. Now that’s no longer the case.”

According to Klatt, this talent redistribution, combined with legal NIL opportunities, has weakened the SEC’s monopoly. “That talent has dispersed a little bit and we're seeing that play out. ... As soon as everybody started becoming eligible, legal to pay players, the SEC lost its dominance,” he said.

The result is a more level national playing field, but also an SEC that feels less inevitable. And without Saban, the conference enters unfamiliar territory.

His success not only forced teams to change how they hire but also blinded some to the long-term consequences of short-term panic.

Meanwhile, the SEC will have to find new methods in finding and maintaining its dominant identity after Saban's shadow loomed large over the game for two decades.