Nick Saban Makes His Pick For 2024 SEC Title Game: Alabama Not The Choice, But 'Texas Ain't Gonna Run The SEC'

DALLAS-Alabama fans, the world is not ending, but Nick Saban has certainly given his former team some "rat poison" as they prepare for the 2024 season. 

Not seeing Nick Saban at the podium this year has been a bit awkward for those around SEC Media Days, but it's not as if he's far away. Located in the back of the ballroom where coaches are discussing their teams outlook for 2024, the former Alabama coach is on the set for the SEC Network and ESPN, breaking down the upcoming season, along with handing out predictions. 

It's probably pretty surreal for the coaches that stand at the podium and answer questions from the media, while at the same time seeing Nick Saban staring at them on the SEC Network set. But, that comes with the job now for the former Tide head coach, and his opinion might not garner the best feedback from those in Tuscaloosa. 

TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA - NOVEMBER 26:  ead coach Nick Saban of the Alabama Crimson Tide looks on during pregame warmups prior to facing the Auburn Tigers at Bryant-Denny Stadium on November 26, 2022 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

As part of his new gig as an analyst for ABC-ESPN, there were plenty of folks who wondered how Nick Saban would handle talking about Alabama. Was he going to pick them every Saturday? How would Saban handle criticizing his former team? 

Well, we found out on Monday that Saban has zero problems with calling out Alabama, while at the same time not predicting them to play for an SEC Championship in December. 

"I think Georgia and Texas," Nick Saban said on the ESPN set. "But I don't think there's any team right now, or any coach that you would talk to -- including myself for many, many years -- that right now there's not some part of their team they're concerned about. How those problems, sort of, get resolved -- whether it's a young player that comes in and makes an impact, or an older player that develops consistency -- those are the question marks that I think make it impossible to make predictions right now.

"But I think Texas if their defense comes through and they can replace some of the interior people that they lost that were high draft picks and all that, they are really good offensively. Even though their quarterback has missed time, (Quinn) Ewers has missed time in the last couple of years, [Arch] Manning was lights out in the spring game. Like, Arch was 21-of-25 for 347 yards. So that depth at quarterback is probably really important for then, because Ewers has missed time the last couple years, a game or two, which could really affect where you end up."

Nick Saban Not Ready To Jump On Alabama Bandwagon

No, I'm not talking about the bandwagon of being a fan, that comes with the territory of still being paid by Alabama as a consultant. But the former Tide' coach is not ready to give Alabama his pick for the SEC title game, mostly due to its secondary. 

We have all seen the type of praise he has for quarterback Jalen Milroe, but it's still the Alabama defensive backs that are troubling Saban enough to not pick them to play for a conference title. 

"So I really like Texas. I think Georgia has got a really good team," Nick Saban noted. "I believe in our Alabama team, too. I believe in Jalen Milroe. I just think the question marks in the secondary -- until those get resolved -- it's hard to, sort of, jump on that bandwagon."

ARLINGTON, TX - DECEMBER 02: Texas Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers (3) smiles after winning the Big 12 Championship game between the Texas Longhorns and the Oklahoma State Cowboys  on December 02, 2023 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX. (Photo by Chris Leduc/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The best advice I could give Alabama fans after reading this is to not buy into the "rat poison" that Saban has been preaching about for the last decade. This is now the Kalen DeBoer show, and I promise you he's not worried about where Nick Saban has his team predicted to finish. 

But obviously, it's a little weird to hear Nick Saban telling Alabama fans that they aren't good enough on defense to play for an SEC title this season.