Nick Saban blasts the Big Ten while praising the SEC for depth

On the Pat McAfee Show Friday Nick Saban touted the league he dominated for 20 years while slighting the conference that's won the last two national championships.

"I don't think the Big Ten is really that deep... It's not like the SEC where you got eight or nine teams that can beat you… . I mean, Penn State? I mean, tell me the good teams. Maybe Michigan. Well, we'll see tomorrow (about USC)," Saban said.

"I mean, you think USC is going to beat Ohio State? You think that would be a game if they played, really... I mean, Illinois got beat like a redheaded stepchild, you know, down at Indiana, so are they legit? I mean, c'mon. Ohio State is great."

This is one of those arguments that will be settled on the field come December, and might be better sorted out if teams didn't schedule in such a cowardly way in September-- fans want more matchups like Texas at Ohio State and Michigan at Oklahoma, and fewer tomato can routes like Kennesaw State at Indiana or Oklahoma State at Oregon.

But for all he accomplished as a seven-time national champion, the coach is a trifle inconsistent in his argument for the league from which he dominated the sport.

UCLA upsets Penn State after the Ducks wrecked the Nittany Lions, using a quarterback they snatched from the SEC. Doesn't that mean the Big Ten is deep, with eight or nine teams or more that can beat anyone?

In the mind of SEC honks, when a SEC squad gets upset, it's a testament to depth. When a Big Ten favorite loses, it's evidence of mediocrity.

All the SEC arguments look a lot like self-fulfilling prophecies, tautologies, shell games.

If the Big Ten wins a third straight national title, will next year's preseason Top 25 look a little more balanced? Preseason expectations create perceptions about strength of schedule. Starting every season with 11 ranked teams automatically makes the SEC look stronger than perhaps it is.

Let's see who's playing winning football in December and January.