It didn’t take long for ESPN analyst Nick Saban to ruffle some feathers.

Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz reacted Wednesday to Saban’s comments that the Tigers have the easiest path to the SEC Championship Game.

“If you’re calling going into (Texas) A&M, Alabama, going to South Carolina, going to Mississippi State, playing home games versus Auburn and home games versus Oklahoma easy, I mean, sure,” Drinkwitz told reporters Wednesday. “But I don’t really get caught up in comparisons, and I sure don’t get caught up in the rat poison out there.”

Of course, Saban coined the phrase rat poison. To be fair, the former Alabama coach said Missouri had the “easiest path” not an easy path. There is a difference.

“If you look at everybody’s schedule, Missouri has the easiest path to get in the (SEC) Championship game,” Saban said Saturday on ESPN’s “College GameDay.” “Georgia has one of the toughest paths to get in the Championship game. … So, it’s not all equal in the way these schedules are kind of set up as hard as people tried to make them that way, which is difficult with all the change.”

Missouri opens the season against Murray State on Thursday, while Georgia faces Clemson on Saturday.

Mark Heim is a reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim. He can be heard on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5 FM in Mobile or on the free Sound of Mobile App from 6 to 9 a.m. daily.