The very top of the Big Ten looks to be very strong once again. Ohio State is ranked No. 1 in the country, with two other programs in the top seven—No. 3 Oregon and No. 7 Indiana—set to face off at Autzen Stadium on Saturday.
Beyond the Buckeyes, Ducks and Hoosiers, it is unclear whether the Big Ten has another true national championship contender. No. 15 Michigan is rounding into form and could play its way into the College Football Playoff, but they didn't look to be on the same level as one of the many contenders in the SEC: Oklahoma. No. 17 Illinois got absolutely drubbed by Indiana earlier in the year, 63–10.
Former Alabama and LSU coach Nick Saban is clearly on the side of the Southeastern Conference in this argument, and made his case on The Pat McAfee Show in a debate with former Ohio State linebacker A.J. Hawk. (The discussion begins around 1:30:00 into the video below).
“I don’t think the Big Ten is really that deep..." said Saban. “It’s not like the SEC where you got eight or nine teams that can beat you. There might be three or four teams in the Big Ten that can beat you.”
When Hawk claimed that the expanded Big Ten is "deeper now," Saban didn't let him off the hook.
“Deeper by what? By who? I mean, Penn State? I mean, tell me the good teams. Maybe Michigan."
Hawk mentioned USC, which hosts Michigan on Saturday, and Saban dismissed the unranked Trojans—which lost to Illinois right after the Fighting Illini lost to Indiana by 53—until he sees more.
"Well, we’ll see tomorrow [on USC]. They’re alright, but alright is not really what I’m talking about. I mean, you think USC is going to beat Ohio State? You think that would be a game if they played? Really?
“You have Oregon, Indiana—legit, so far, and we’ll see how legit Indiana is probably tomorrow,” continued Saban. “I mean, Illinois got beat like a redheaded stepchild down in Indiana, so are they legit? I mean, c’mon.”
Saban acknowledged Ohio State is "great," but even the Buckeyes' 14–7 season-opening win vs. Texas is a bit diminished because "Texas is not what everybody thought Texas would be." He then rattled off the upper-middle class off the SEC, which certainly looks stronger than that of the Big Ten on paper right now.
“A&M is pretty good, Georgia is pretty good, Ole Miss is pretty good. Alabama's got a chance. Missouri's got a chance,” Saban said. “I mean, there’s a lot of good teams. Tennessee is pretty good.”
All of those teams that Saban listed are firmly in the Top 25, a ranking that features nine SEC teams total. He didn't even mention No. 11 LSU or No. 20 Vanderbilt.
The Big Ten has been more successful in recent CFP play, with Michigan and Ohio State taking home the last two national titles, and Oregon certainly looks the part of a national championship-level program. With teams like Penn State falling off the map, however, the SEC certainly looks like the deeper group right now.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Nick Saban Calls Out Big Ten's Lack of Depth Compared to SEC.
