Alabama footballâs Nick Saban reflects on end of SEC West division
It’s been a good run for Nick Saban and Alabama football in the SEC West. The Crimson Tide has won the division 15 total times, 10 of them under Saban.
He also won two coaching at LSU in the early 2000s. Now, he and the Tide have won the final SEC West championship, as the conference eliminates divisions next season with the additions of Texas and Oklahoma.
On Wednesday, Saban was asked about his feelings on the end of the division he and Alabama have dominated.
“I haven’t thought really much about the division going away this season,” Saban said on the SEC coaches teleconference Wednesday. “When you’re in the season you’re always focusing on the next game, the next play, the next whatever, and so I haven’t really thought about that. But it has been fun to compete in the SEC, to have a division to focus on what you have to do to win your division.”
Alabama will face Georgia, which clinched the SEC East on Saturday, in this year’s SEC championship game in Atlanta. Before that, the Tide finishes up the regular season with a home game against Chattanooga Saturday ahead of a trip to Auburn for the Iron Bowl.
Next season, the top two teams in the SEC will play in the championship game.
“I’m sure it will be a little different next year but I haven’t really given it a whole lot of thought,” Saban said. “But it’s still going to be about playing the best you can play and winning the game shere. You gotta play so you put yourself in a position to be considered to play in the championship game.”
Alabama and Chattanooga are scheduled to kick off at 11 a.m. CT Saturday at Bryant-Denny Stadium. The game will be aired on SEC Network+.