Nick Saban Reveals He Argues SEC vs. ACC With This Coach

Nick Saban, a football coach with an impressive record of seven national championships — six with Alabama and one with LSU — has found himself on the receiving end of some spirited debates from his former assistant and current Miami Hurricanes coach, Mario Cristobal. The two have been engaged in a friendly rivalry over which conference, the SEC or the ACC, is superior for college football. Cristobal has been known to frequently call Saban to argue his point of view that the ACC is the better conference.

Saban, however, remains firmly convinced that the SEC is the superior conference. He cites the depth of talent in the SEC, with nine teams currently ranked in the Preseason AP Top 25, while only three ACC teams are in the Top 25. Among these SEC teams, Saban highlights Georgia, Texas, Texas A&M, LSU, Alabama, and Tennessee as standouts.

He dismisses Cristobal's arguments, saying "I know that the Big Ten is a really good conference and getting better when it comes to depth. It’s really great at the top with Ohio State and Oregon. But, anyway, it is what it is."

Cristobal, who spent time working under Saban as an offensive line coach at Alabama, is known as "the best salesman in the history of ball." His persuasive salesmanship makes it difficult for Saban to be convinced otherwise. Despite the heated debates, Cristobal's Hurricanes managed to reach the College Football Playoff semifinals last year, defeating SEC teams in the process. However, when considering team-by-team performance, the SEC still appears to be the dominant conference, as stated by Daniel Hager of On3.