Alabama’s Nick Saban on SEC, Big Ten Expansion: ‘Megaconferences’ Here to Stay

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Alabama head coach Nick Saban said on the Always College Football podcast Monday with ESPN commentator and ex-Crimson Tide quarterback Greg McElroy that he believes “megaconferences” are here to stay in the wake of USC and UCLA’s moves to the Big Ten.

The seven-time national champion spoke about how conference shuffling has led to long-standing rivalries (e.g. Oklahoma vs. Nebraska) ending before noting that this new era will have some staying power (h/t ESPN’s Alex Scarborough).

“But I think we’re going to deal with it in a greater capacity than ever before because I think megaconferences are probably here to stay,” Saban said. “Market share, there’s a lot of that involved in why we’re doing what we’re doing.”

Alabama and the rest of the SEC will notably be adding long-standing Big 12 powers Oklahoma and Texas into the conference in 2025. That will turn the SEC into a 16-team league, matching the future size of the Big Ten when it brings USC and UCLA into the fold.

This article will be updated soon to provide more information and analysis.

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