re: Shaq: If LSU would have paid Saban, LSU would be Alabama

Let's be objective here- Saban is a great coach, and would have success anywhere he is at.

All things considered, Alabama is a better program than LSU. More wins, more head-to-head wins, more national titles (before Saban, with Saban). Nick Saban at Alabama will exceed Nick Saban at LSU. Is this a blasphemous thing to say? Objectively, no, it is what it is. We at LSU (Auburn, Georgia, Florida etc) WANT to be better, we STRIVE to be better, but if both programs are going at full tilt, Alabama is going to be the better program. It's the best program in the SEC and arguably the nation.

It's the same in other conferences. In the Pac 12, you can say Oregon and Stanford are the best, but everyone knows USC is the sleeping monster. If USC gets the right coach, they will reclaim that conference, regardless of what any other team does. Big 12- TCU and Baylor are on great runs, but Oklahoma is still the big dog. They won this year, and if they get it right, they will continue to win, no matter what Baylor does.