Nick Saban can rip the Big Ten, but put respect on Ohio State's dominance

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Nick Saban can rip the Big Ten, but put respect on Ohio State's dominance

Nick Saban can rip the Big Ten, but put respect on Ohio State's dominance

Blake Toppmeyer, USA TODAY NETWORK · USA TODAY Sports

Sat, Oct 11, 2025 ·

4 min read

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CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Nick Saban 's not mistaken, but he's having the wrong conversation.

Saban poo-pooed the Big Ten this week, and he exalted the SEC's down-ballot clout.

The Big Ten "is not like the SEC, where you've got eight or nine teams that can beat you," Saban said on ESPN.

OK, so, by Saban's assessment, the SEC's ninth-best team probably would beat the Big Ten's ninth-best team. I don't disagree, but so what?

The College Football Playoff is not an exam that rewards the conference with the most depth. The postseason rewards dominance, not depth.

That's why the Big Ten produced the past two national champions, and that's why the yanks in the north are well-positioned to produce another national champion and retain bragging rights on the SEC.

Ohio State Buckeyes running back CJ Donaldson Jr. (12) reacts during the first quarter against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Memorial Stadium.
(Ron Johnson-Imagn Images)

Ohio State Buckeyes cornerback Jermaine Mathews Jr. (7) dances during warm ups prior to the NCAA football game against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Gies Memorial Stadium in Champaign on Oct. 11, 2025.
(Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch)

Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Julian Sayin (10) throws downfield during the first quarter against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Memorial Stadium.
(Ron Johnson-Imagn Images)

Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Jeremiah Smith (4) runs for a gain during the first quarter against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Memorial Stadium.
(Ron Johnson-Imagn Images)

Ohio State Buckeyes defensive lineman Kayden McDonald (98) motions to the Illinois Fighting Illini student section as the team takes the field prior to the NCAA football game at Gies Memorial Stadium in Champaign on Oct. 11, 2025.
(Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch)

Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Julian Sayin (10) warms up prior to the NCAA football game against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Gies Memorial Stadium in Champaign on Oct. 11, 2025.
(Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch)

Oct 11, 2025; Champaign, Illinois, USA; A Ohio State Buckeyes fan cheers during the first quarter against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Memorial Stadium.
(Ron Johnson-Imagn Images)

Ohio State Buckeyes defensive lineman Kayden McDonald (98) celebrates a fumble recovery after stripping the ball from Illinois Fighting Illini running back Ca'Lil Valentine (5) during the first half of the NCAA football game at Gies Memorial Stadium in Champaign on Oct. 11, 2025.
(Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch)

Ohio State Buckeyes defensive lineman Kayden McDonald (98) strips the ball from Illinois Fighting Illini running back Ca'Lil Valentine (5) and recovers the fumble during the first half of the NCAA football game at Gies Memorial Stadium in Champaign on Oct. 11, 2025.
(Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch)

Ohio State Buckeyes linebacker Garrett Stover (23) celebrates a tackle by cornerback Bryce West (12) on a kickoff during the NCAA football game against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Gies Memorial Stadium in Champaign on Oct. 11, 2025. Ohio State won 34-16.
(Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch, Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

Ohio State Buckeyes defensive tackle Tywone Malone (95) celebrates a tackle of Illinois Fighting Illini running back Aidan Laughery (21) during the NCAA football game at Gies Memorial Stadium in Champaign on Oct. 11, 2025. Ohio State won 34-16.
(Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch, Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

Ohio State Buckeyes cornerback Jermaine Mathews Jr. (7) celebrates a fumble recovery by defensive lineman Kayden McDonald (98) during the NCAA football game against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Gies Memorial Stadium in Champaign on Oct. 11, 2025. Ohio State won 34-16.
(Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch, Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

Ohio State Buckeyes linebacker Payton Pierce (26) celebrates an interception with linebacker Sonny Styles (0) and cornerback Davison Igbinosun (1) during the NCAA football game against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Gies Memorial Stadium in Champaign on Oct. 11, 2025. Ohio State won 34-16.
(Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch, Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

Ohio State Buckeyes linebacker Sonny Styles (0) tackles Illinois Fighting Illini tight end Jordan Anderson (23) during the second half of the NCAA football game at Gies Memorial Stadium in Champaign on Oct. 11, 2025. Ohio State won 34-16.
(Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch, Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Jeremiah Smith (4) celebrates a touchdown with offensive lineman Luke Montgomery (51) during the second half of the NCAA football game against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Gies Memorial Stadium in Champaign on Oct. 11, 2025. Ohio State won 34-16.
(Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch, Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

Until otherwise proven, No. 1 Ohio State remains the nation's most-dominant, most-complete team.

A day before the Buckeyes smashed No. 17 Illinois, 34-16 , Saban rattled off a bunch of SEC teams he believes are "pretty good."

Texas A&M. Georgia. Mississippi. Alabama . Missouri. Tennessee.

He's right, of course, but Saban knows better than anyone "pretty good" teams don't win national championships.

In Saban's heyday, Alabama smashed pretty good teams.

Dominant teams win national championships.

Great teams win national championships.

So, I wonder, whom did the GOAT spotlight as a great team?

"Ohio State is great," Saban conceded.

Right again.

And Ohio State's greatness matters more than which conference's ninth-place team would win if they met in an also-ran bowl as an appetizer to the playoff.

Does SEC football have a team of Ohio State's caliber?

Who's the SEC's lead horse?

Alabama, potentially. The Crimson Tide have ripped off three straight ranked victories, solidifying after that woeful opener at Florida State .

But, if you offered me the option of Ohio State's offensive line or Alabama's, I'd take the Buckeyes' big fellas who seem intent on making sure the nearest defender is at least one country mile away from quarterback Julian Sayin.

I'd take Ohio State's defensive line, too, and its wide receivers. As sharp as Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson looks — he's the best thing going in Tuscaloosa — Sayin is completing better than 78% of his passes for Ohio State.

Insert Georgia or Ole Miss or Tennessee or Texas A&M or Oklahoma into that equation in place of Alabama, and my answer doesn't change. At nearly every position, the Buckeyes enjoy supremacy.

Nick Saban lauds Ohio State's Julian Sayin

Game recognizes game. You don't win seven national championships without spotting talent.

"Nobody has done what Ohio State's quarterback Julian Sayin" has done, Saban said on ESPN, hours before Ohio State's redshirt freshman tossed two touchdown passes against the Illini.

Saban wanted Sayin as Alabama's quarterback of the future, until he up and retired. Sayin flipped his commitment from Alabama to Ohio State.

"He's my guy," Saban said .

He's Ohio State's guy now, the latest in a run of excellent quarterbacks to develop under coach Ryan Day.

After Ohio State improved to 6-0, Day gave his players permission to feel some satisfaction in smashing a conference opponent by three scores on the road.

"It's a good sign when you have to go into the locker room after a win like this and make sure everybody understands what a great win it was," Day said. "I think we all felt like we left a little bit on the field, but with all that being said, I thought the effort was excellent."

Efficient though this victory was, nobody wearing scarlet and gray considered this to be Ohio State at its peak.

"We're going to keep building," Sayin said.

That's what's scary about this latest beast forming in Columbus. The Buckeyes have a higher gear that, outside of last week's rout of Minnesota, they've shown sparingly.

"We're still finding our stride," Ohio State tight end Max Klare said. "Once we hit that, we'll get things rolling."

If the Buckeyes learn to hit that higher gear more consistently, the SEC's depth or the strength of its ninth-place team won't matter a bit, because the playoff spits out "pretty good" teams and crowns the great ones.

Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network's senior national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer .

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Nick Saban rips Big 10, but respect Ohio State football dominance

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Nick Saban can rip the Big Ten, but put respect on Ohio State's dominance

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