Nick Saban shuts down Mario Cristobal's argument for the ACC being better than the SEC

During an appearance Friday on The Pat McAfee Show, Nick Saban revealed that Mario Cristobal regularly calls him with one persistent argument: that the ACC is better than the SEC. As you might be able to guess, Saban doesn’t agree... at all.

"He's always trying to convince me that the ACC is better than the SEC. The SEC has nine teams in the [preseason] Top 25. That's all I know. It's a deep conference. I know it is. I know that the Big Ten is a really good conference and getting better when it comes to depth. It's really great at the top with Ohio State and Oregon. But, anyway, it is what it is. He's never gonna convince me. Never gonna convince me that the ACC is better than the SEC."

Nick Saban

Cristobal worked under Saban at Alabama from 2013 to 2016. The two helped deliver a national championship in 2015, and the relationship has remained close with ongoing phone calls. Saban was actually pretty high on the Canes during the regular season last year and entering the CFP. Perhaps their coaching connection was one of the reasons for that.

In additional comments from the same appearance on Pat McAfee's show, he labeled his former assistant "the best salesman in the history of ball" and joked that if Cristobal ever got fired, he would become the best used-car salesman in South Florida. Saban also referred to the recurring conversations as "this ACC bulls--t."

Look, it is a stretch to say that the ACC is on the same level as the SEC. But as Miami's head coach, Cristobal has built a strong record against SEC opponents.

Mario Cristobal's head coaching record vs. SEC teams (Miami era)

• Sept. 9, 2023: Miami 48, Texas A&M 33
• Aug. 31, 2024: Miami 41, Florida 17
• Sept. 20, 2025: Miami 26, Florida 7
• Dec. 20, 2025 (CFP First Round): Miami 10, Texas A&M 3
• Jan. 8, 2026 (CFP Semifinal/Fiesta Bowl): Miami 31, Ole Miss 27

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