Seven months ago, Nick Saban was sitting at a microphone following Alabama’s 27-24 SEC Championship win over No. 2 ranked Georgia, giving every reason why the Crimson Tide should be in the College Football Playoff. For 17 minutes, Saban sat up on the stage talking his team up as a top-four team in the country, and it may have worked as the Crimson Tide came in No. 4 the following day, taking the final playoff spot.
Now, he has changed his views as a retired coach and ESPN analyst.
Nick Saban Believes Alabama Will Not be in SEC Championship Game
Despite still having many of the players Saban had just last year, including starting quarterback Jalen Milroe, Saban does not believe that Alabama will be raising the SEC Championship trophy in 2024; in fact, they won’t even be playing for it.
At SEC Media Days, Saban shared the following:
“I believe in our Alabama team too. I believe in Jalen Milroe. But until the issues in the secondary get resolved, it’s hard to kind of jump on that bandwagon.”
Saban believes that Texas and Georgia will be playing for the Championship. Again, this is super odd, considering that most of the players on the Crimson Tide team are players that Saban recruited and had on his team last year. Sure, many players transferred once he left, but the 2024 version of Alabama will still have Saban’s fingerprint all over it.
There are Seven Teams With a Real Chance to Win the SEC
Alabama has played in four of the last six SEC Championship games, and for the most part, the matchup between Alabama and Georgia has felt pre-determined, with the two teams matchup up three of the last six years.
This year feels different.
Whether the SEC schedules favor certain teams (Missouri), new teams are added (Texas), or Saban is leaving (Bama), the conference feels pretty open this year. Eight teams currently have odds of +600 or better to make the SEC Championship game.
- Texas (-110)
- Georiga (-160)
- Ole Miss (+250)
- Alabama (+300)
- LSU (+400)
- Texas A&M (+425)
- Tennessee (+550)
- Missouri (+600)
For perspective, last year, only Alabama, Georgia, and LSU had odds higher than (+600) to make the Championship game.
Alabama’s Schedule Isn’t Favorable
The Crimson Tide have a very difficult schedule that is unfavorable to them making the playoffs, even if they are as talented as a team like Missouri. Some of their games include:
-
- Georgia
- at Tennessee
- Missouri
- at LSU
Another game that could be tough is Oklahoma, which they have to play on the road in November. If Oklahoma has its typical November, it could be very cold and possibly even have snow, something Alabama is not accustomed to playing in.
With these five tough games (five of the eight toughest possible opponents) it’s no surprise that Alabama is not favored to make the SEC Championship game and why Saban elected to go with Georgia and Texas.
Georgia plays only three of the top eight teams, while Texas plays only two.
Nick Saban from the top rope 😨
“Texas ain’t gonna run the SEC.” pic.twitter.com/OsYiLCS52R
— Touchdown Alabama (@TDAlabamaMag) July 15, 2024
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