Nick Saban says Mario Cristobal keeps making the same case to him, and Saban isn’t buying it for a second.
On Friday’s appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, Saban said his former Alabama assistant regularly reaches out to argue that the ACC is better than the SEC. Saban’s response was blunt.
"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."
Cristobal and Saban go back a long way. Cristobal coached under Saban at Alabama from 2013 to 2016, and the two won a national championship together in 2015. Their relationship has stayed close enough for regular phone calls, even if the conference debate never seems to go anywhere.
Saban also said he was high on Miami during the regular season last year and heading into the CFP, which may have had something to do with that coaching connection.
He added more color on Cristobal in the same appearance, calling him "the best salesman in the history of ball" and joking that if Cristobal ever got fired, he would become the best used-car salesman in South Florida. Saban also repeated his description of the conversations as "this ACC bulls--t."
Still, Cristobal has had some real results against SEC teams at Miami. The Hurricanes beat Florida 41-17 on Aug. 31, 2024, then took down the Gators again 26-7 on Sept.
20, 2025. Miami also beat Texas A&M 10-3 in the CFP First Round on Dec. 20, 2025, and followed that with a 31-27 win over Ole Miss in the CFP Semifinal/Fiesta Bowl on Jan.
8, 2026.
In Other News...
Miamis 2001 Tribute Might Come With A Bigger Surprise
Miami is set to salute one of the most beloved groups in program history when the Hurricanes honor their 2001 national championship team during the Oct. 24 game against Pitt. The date already carries plenty of weight for a fan base that still measures success against that era, and the timing fits with a program that is coming off a strong season and expected to be among the Atlantic Coast Conference favorites under Mario Cristobal.
A recent social media post only added to the buzz, showing a player in a uniform that looked a lot like the early 2000s look, complete with 2001 detailing. It has fueled talk that the celebration could extend beyond the pregame ceremony and into the uniforms themselves, but Miami has not made anything official yet, leaving room for plenty of anticipation as the tribute game gets closer. [Read more 🡒]
Miami Just Cleared An Early Hurdle With Elite Safety Recruit
Miami has already made the cut for one of the nations more intriguing young defensive backs, as 2028 four-star safety Jaelyn Easterling-Flores released a top six that includes the Hurricanes alongside Auburn, Georgia Tech, LSU, Oklahoma and Texas. The Desert Edge prospect has built an early national profile and now appears to be narrowing his search in a meaningful way, with this list set as his final group.
The next step for Miami is the one it has not yet checked off. Easterling-Flores has already taken official visits to Oregon, Florida, Auburn, Texas and Notre Dame, but he has not been to Coral Gables, leaving the Hurricanes with room to make their case in person. For a program looking to stay in the mix for elite secondary talent, simply surviving this round is a solid start, even if the bigger test is still ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Miami Offensive Line Still Has Something To Prove This Camp
Ryan Roderguiez has seen enough of this camp to know the Hurricanes offensive line is still in the teaching phase, even with the regular season creeping closer. The veteran lineman pointed to freshman Ben Congdon and Jackson Cantwell as examples of how much curiosity and effort is still showing up in the room, saying both young players have been eager to learn and keep improving. For Miami, that kind of buy-in matters, because the line is still being built as much on communication as on sheer size and talent.
Roderguiez also stressed the value of cross-training up front, a reminder that the Hurricanes are trying to create more than just five separate positions. The recent scrimmage offered another look at where the group stands, and his message was clear enough: there is work left to do, but the standard inside the room is not changing. For a team that wants to lean on its offensive line all season, the next few weeks will be about turning that standard into something the rest of the offense can count on. [Read more 🡒]