Nick Saban may no longer be patrolling the sidelines in Tuscaloosa, but his influence continues to shape Alabama football from behind the scenes. As discussions about the future of the SEC intensify, Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne has embraced the philosophy Saban long preached.

“When Coach Saban would be talking about something, and he’d look at you over his glasses, you know, he has his glasses on. He would look over his glasses, and he said, ‘Greg, the dinosaurs didn’t adapt.’ And then just stare at you,” he shared on the Triple Option podcast on June 8, 2026.

“So with that, we’re in a constant evolution right now. And we’ve got to continue to be open-minded and thoughtful about what we’re doing, and that’s at Alabama, that’s in the Southeastern Conference.”

Byrne recently proposed scrapping SEC championship games, arguing they’ve run their course. He wants the playoff format to go from 12 to 16 games. Byrne believes that in the current 12-team playoff format, a heavy loss in the conference championship game can seriously hurt a team’s ranking and even push a three-loss team out of the playoff race. Luck doesn’t always hold. DeBoer’s Alabama made the playoffs with three losses—a rare exception.

Byrne’s proposal wasn’t born of hatred but pragmatism—a distinction lost in backlash. Coaches worry that an overly long season shortchanges their players. The championship adds pressure on players already stretched thin. The 5+11 model grants automatic playoff bids to the five highest-ranked conference champions; the remaining 11 spots will go to at-large teams.

This change may seem well thought out on paper, but the SEC championship game carries deep sentimental value that many fans won’t be able to digest. Steve Sarkisian, Longhorns HC, emerged as the loudest opponent.

Steve Sarkisian’s views on the evolution of the SEC format

Entering his third season, Sarkisian has now tasted the craze of rivalry in the SEC. Even though his team couldn’t chase the playoffs, Sarkisian does not want to lose an opportunity to take his team to that platform to prove it belongs there. He believes that focusing on just one goal takes away the fun of small victories with the fans.

“I love the SEC championship game. I think it’s a special game. It’s a special moment for the two teams that have the opportunity to play in that game. Clearly, the fans love it. The viewership is incredible for that ball game,” Sarkisian stated, as reported by Evan Vieth.

“We live in an era right now of college football where it’s playoff or bust,” Sarkisian said, “and I feel for people because there’s only 12 teams that get in … and so the disappointment for the majority of these fan bases, because they all live with a playoff-or-bust mentality. … We’re minimizing the value of an SEC championship, all with the hopes of just winning a national championship, and one team gets one of those.”

Sarkisian has a point: SEC rivalry is what fans crave, and the championship—a tradition since 1992—carries weight. For SEC fans, conference supremacy matters more than a national title.