Nick Saban Names The Oklahoma Sooners As An SEC Championship Contender

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Nick Saban dropped some interesting comments at SEC Media Days when he was asked about teams that could make it to the SEC Championship Game this year.

The legendary coach didn’t hesitate to put Oklahoma in that conversation.

"I think Oklahoma's got a chance. You know, John Mateer comes back and plays well," Saban said during SEC Media Days on SEC Network's SEC Now program.

That’s pretty big coming from Saban. He knows what championship teams look like, and he’s clearly paying attention to what OU has coming back.

He went on to name seven teams he sees as contenders: Georgia, Texas, Texas A&M, LSU, Ole Miss, Alabama, and Oklahoma. That group is stacked with talent, and it shows just how much parity there is at the top of the SEC this season. Any one of those teams could end up in Atlanta, and it wouldn’t be a huge surprise.

Saban kept it real about how tight the race could be. "There's a lot of people who have a chance and have good enough players," Saban continued. "It just depends on how things go for them."

That’s the truth in this year's SEC. Talent is spread out, and little things like health, consistency, and how teams handle the tough schedule will decide who rises to the top.

For Oklahoma, it comes down to a few key areas.

The defense should be elite again. With guys like David Stone, Taylor Wein, Kip Lewis, Owen Heinecke, and the Bowen brothers back, that side of the ball has the potential to be one of the best in the country. They carried the team at times last year, especially during that strong November stretch.

On offense, it starts with John Mateer staying healthy and playing smart. He looked like a Heisman contender early last season before the thumb injury. If he can stay on the field, limit mistakes, and make good decisions, he doesn’t have to be a superhero, just efficient.

The weapons around him are better this year too with Isaiah Sategna III, the new transfers, and the tight end additions. The offensive line is another year older and should improve, especially if they can get the run game going more consistently.

Even though the media poll had OU at seventh, the respect from people who know the league is growing.

Roman Harper said on News 9 that he thinks they can win the SEC. Paul Finebaum told WWLS in Oklahoma City the same thing. When guys like Saban, Harper, and Finebaum are mentioning Oklahoma as a contender, it means something.

This feels like the most complete team Brent Venables has had since he took over. The schedule is tough again with early conference games against Georgia, Texas, and others, but if the Sooners can navigate that early stretch and stay healthy, they’ve got a real shot to make a run at Atlanta.

Saban naming OU as one of his seven contenders is a nice early validation. It shows that people are respected voices like Saban, are finally starting to buy into Venables and believe that the program is trending in the right direction after last year’s playoff appearance. Now it’s up to the players and coaches to go prove it on the field.

The parity at the top of the SEC makes this year exciting. There isn’t one clear favorite, which means a team that gets hot at the right time and stays healthy could separate itself.

Oklahoma has the talent and the coaching to be that team. If Mateer plays well, the defense stays dominant, and they clean up the little things, a trip to Atlanta is absolutely in play.

Nick Saban has seen a lot of good teams over the years. For him to put Oklahoma is not something insignificant.

The Sooners appear to have the pieces. Now it’s about putting it all together when it counts.

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