Nick Saban is settling nicely into his role as a college football commentator, and the former Alabama coach made his first big prediction at SEC Media Day on Monday afternoon, predicting that Georgia and Texas will play in the SEC Championship Game in December.
Saban, a seven-time national championship winner, has high praise for the Longhorns as they transition out of the Big 12. Texas, which made its first-time College Football Playoff appearance last season, is a favorite to make waves in the SEC. Saban praised the roster depth that coach Steve Sarkisian has built and had special praise for redshirt freshman quarterback Arch Manning, who everyone is excited about.
“I think Texas can be a really good team offensively if they can play their defense well and replace some of the guys they lost on the inside, like their top draft picks,” Saban said on the SEC Network. “Manning had a great spring game, even with quarterback Quinn Ewers missing the last couple years. Arch completed 21 of 25 passes for 347 yards. Quarterback depth is probably going to be really important for them because Ewers has missed a game or two the last couple years and that can really impact a team’s standing. So I think Texas is really good.”
But Saban was prepared to quickly defend himself if that didn’t happen.
“I don’t think there’s a team or a coach that doesn’t have some concerns right now,” Saban said. “I don’t think it’s possible at this point to predict how those issues are going to be resolved, whether the younger guys are going to come in and be successful, whether the older guys are going to be consistent.”
Saban also noted that Ole Miss, ranked highly in the transfer portal, could compete with the SEC’s top class by revamping its approach to the line of scrimmage. Rebels coach Lane Kiffin has had a lot of work done in the transfer portal, the highlight of which was the acquisition of former five-star defensive lineman Walter Nolen from Texas A&M.
What about the Crimson Tide teams that Saban has built into powerhouses? He has no disparagement for them, but he has identified one major thing that gives him pause when predicting an SEC Championship Game appearance.
“I believe in this Alabama team,” Saban said, “and I believe in (quarterback) Jalen Milroe. But there are question marks in the secondary, and until those are addressed, I think it’s going to be hard to get in the groove.”
