Nick Saban Chides Big 10 Depth, 'It's Not Like the SEC'

McAfee's cohost, former Ohio State linebacker AJ Hawk, chimed in to contest the coaches claim, saying, "Big 10 is expanding now coach, it's letting some people in. It's deeper now."

Saban simply responded with, "Deeper by what? By Who? Tell me the good teams... Do you think USC is going to beat Ohio State? Do you think that would be a game if they played? Really?"

He continued, "You've got Oregon and Indiana. They're legit so far... Illinois got beat like a red headed step child down in Indiana, so are they legit? I mean, come on."

Saban went on to reference who he believes are contenders in the SEC, naming Alabama, Georgia, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Missouri and Tennessee.

While many would agree with the coach's sentiment, it's worth noting that in opportunities to take down Big 10 opponents last year, the SEC as a whole finished 1-5 against the conference across all of bowl season. Missouri earned the SEC's lone win against a Big 10 opponent, defeating Iowa in the Transperfect Music City Bowl, 27-24.

The Crimson Tide is 2-2 in its last four matchups with Big 10 teams, dating back to Saban's final championship in which Alabama took down Ohio State by a score of 52-24.

Through the first half of the 2025 season, the SEC leads the Big 10, 2-1, in head to head matchups and holds nine teams in the AP Top 25, compared to the Big 10's five.

While it may be unclear as to which conference is truly top dog, its certainly clear that the SEC and Big 10 have separated themselves from the rest of the Power Four. Since the turn of the century, a team from one of the two conferences has won the national championship a whopping 18 times, and as of right now, Ohio State is the favorite to take home the trophy this year.

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