South Bound & Down
Fansided

SEC Football: The similarities between Saban and Smart

By Abbey Giese

ATLANTA, GA - JANUARY 6: Head Coach Nick Saban of the Alabama Crimson Tide speaks to the media during the College Football Playoff National Championship Media Day at Philips Arena on January 6, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - JANUARY 6: Head Coach Nick Saban of the Alabama Crimson Tide speaks to the media during the College Football Playoff National Championship Media Day at Philips Arena on January 6, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 5
Next
Scott Cunningham/Getty Images
Scott Cunningham/Getty Images /

SEC Championship

Saban and Smart both won the SEC Championship within their first three seasons with their respective programs.

Saban led the Crimson Tide to a conference title in 2009 with a 32-13 win over Florida in the SEC Championship game. In Saban’s third season at Alabama, the Crimson Tide won the conference title for the first time in 10 years.

This was also the beginning of Alabama’s days of SEC dominance in the modern era. The Crimson Tide has won the conference title five times since Saban became the head coach.

Smart won the SEC Championship after just two seasons with Georgia when they defeated Auburn 28-7 this season. This was the first time the Bulldogs had won the conference title since 2005.

However, Smart did have better recruits to work with when he arrived in Athens. Several talented upperclassmen like Nick Chubb, Sony Michel and Lorenzo Carter were already on the team. They also chose to trust Smart’s process when they decided to return for their senior seasons.

Home/Alabama Crimson Tide