Not only does the 2024 SEC Media Days welcome Oklahoma and Texas into the conference, but it will be the first without Nick Saban as Alabama’s head coach since 2007. However, he returned to the event in Dallas, Texas, as a media member and immediately proved he’s ready for his new role.
Nick Saban Picks Texas and Georgia for SEC Championship, Giving Alabama Motivation
Saban began the event by saying the SEC has 6-7 teams that could make the expanded College Football Playoff while on “Get Up.” But the headline-worthy takes didn’t stop there.
When asked to predict who will be in the 2024 SEC Championship Game, the 17-year Alabama head coach picked Georgia and Texas to square off.
While it’s not a hot take, as the Bulldogs and Longhorns are the favorites to compete in the game, according to FanDuel, it was surprising that Saban neglected his former employer.
Perhaps it was a ploy to give the Crimson Tide more motivation in his first season away from Tuscaloosa? Whatever the case, it will certainly rub Alabama fans the wrong way.
However, Saban wasn’t all sunshine and roses when talking about Texas. He said that while the Longhorns may have run the Big 12, “They are not going to run the SEC.”
It’s important to note that Texas has won just four conference championships since the Big 12 was formed in 1996, while Oklahoma has won 11, the most in the league. Steve Sarkisian has certainly turned the program into a contender in his three years, but saying they ran the Big 12 is, to quote the late-great Kobe Bryant, a “Bikram yoga stretch.”
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Kalen DeBoer, who takes the reigns from Saban after leading Washington to their first national championship appearance in the College Football Playoff era, will step onto the SEC Media Days stage Wednesday. The pressure is on to continue Bama’s success, but DeBoer has a track record that inspires confidence in his ability as an offensive mind and leader.
Plus, the cupboards are far from bare, with a mix of talented returners, transfers, and recruits ready to prove the Tide will continue to roll without the legendary Saban on the sideline.
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