Nick Saban Opens Up About Additions in SEC, College Football Playoff Format

Former Alabama head coach Nick Saban warns Texas and Oklahoma about the challenges of SEC competition while also touching on the new 12-team CFP format.

Sep 10, 2022; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian talks with Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban before the game at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports / Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports

This year's SEC Media Days stands out above the rest for a multitude of reasons.

One being that the conference welcomed the additions of former Big 12 standouts Texas and Oklahoma.

Former Alabama head football coach Nick Saban has started a career as an analyst since his jaw-dropping retirement on Jan. 10 and spoke about the SEC's two new teams on Monday, stating that the competition is much different in this conference.

"Well I think they're two great programs, so anytime you add two really good teams that will be mixed throughout people's schedules, but I think for the big for them is they're going to have to play with more consistency and performance because they'll be playing a more difficult schedule," Saban said. "There's going to be a premium on 'Can they play good teams week in and week out' because that's always the challenge in the SEC."

Texas has been outspoken for decades about the Longhorn culture. Texas is coming off its best season since 2009 as the Longhorns finished 12-2 with their latter loss coming against Washington in the College Football Playoff semifinal.

Saban acknowledged Texas' confidence over the years, as it seems to be nearing an all-time high right now. The seven-time National Champion, with his first at Alabama (second overall) coming against Texas in that aforementioned 2009 season, assured the Longhorns that the SEC isn't their's just yet.

"What tickles me is how (the media) is asking these questions about how Texas has always run the conference they were in...they're not going to run the SEC," Saban said. "There's a whole lot of areas and places in the SEC so you can forget about all that. They'll be a great team with a great program and (head coach Steve Sarkisian) will do a great job, but that's not going to be a problem."

The Crimson Tide and Texas have faced off in each of the last two seasons in a home-and-home with the away team winning each game. Alabama won 20-19 on Sept. 10, 2022 and Texas won 34-24 on Sept. 9, 2023.

These two teams won't play each other during the upcoming regular season, but they could face off in the College Football Playoff's new 12-team format after it was under a 4-team landscape for the opening 10 years post-BCS era. Saban touched on the new format on Monday as well, but raised some suggestions on how coaches should approach it.

"I'm all for the 12-team Playoff," Saban said. "I think fans want to see the best 12 teams. You could be ranked 11th or 12th and get bumped out by somebody who's not in the top-12 so I don't like that part of it, but the keys to the coaches this year is what kind of depth do you have on your team? How are you going to be able to manage your team through more games, playing a more tougher schedule in most cases and be able to sustain performance so that at the end of the season in November and December, you're playing your best football and sustain it in the Playoff. That's going to be the biggest challenge I think most coaches have."

That said, coaches can only do so much as the players are the ones inside the numbers of the gridiron. The additions in the number of Playoff spots mean that there are several more legitimate contenders at the beginning of the season. Saban explained that coaches should instill in the players early that they need to be prepared for a longer season.

"I think the maturity of your team is important because younger players have a more difficult time of sustaining focus," Saban said. "So if you have an older and more experienced team that understands how to take care of themselves and get through the season, you're going to have a better chance of sustaining in my opinion."

Saban has always been open about the importance of leadership in players. He discussed how the new College Football Playoff format will require more discipline among the team throughout the entire season and captains will have to be on top of their teammates.

"People talk about leadership, but the other side of leadership is how do the people on the team respond to that—are guys really going to bed early at night, are they eating right, are they hydrating right, are they practicing the right way so they make consistent improvement—all those things are going to have a lot to do with how you maintain your performance throughout the season," Saban said.