Nick Saban Shares SEC's Dirty Little Money Secret, Fans Might Be Offended: WATCH

Is the SEC too poor to compete with the financial backers of the Big Ten?

We're living in an unprecedented era of college sports where the people with the deepest pockets can shift entire tides with the stroke of a pen.

Some people love it. Others hate it. Either way, it's reality and we all need to accept it. That reality led to Nick Saban making a very fascinating admission.

Is The SEC poor? (Photo by Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images) 

Nick Saban says SEC lacks true generational wealth.

Pat McAfee spoke with Saban Friday about the insane money coming out of Big Ten universities, and the former Alabama coach admitted the SEC simply doesn't have that kind of financial success.

"I think Texas and Texas A&M probably have that kind of old fashioned money. A lot of the schools in the SEC don't have that old-time generational wealth," the seven-time national champion coach explained.

You can watch Saban's comments below, and let me know your thoughts at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.

As hard as it might be for some SEC fans to hear, Saban is 100% correct. The money produced at Big Ten schools is insane.

Michigan alone has 15 billionaire alumni and UCLA has 12, according to the latest NASDAQ data. Wisconsin - a program that has slipped in recent years - also has the kind of money the overwhelming SEC programs couldn't dream of sniffing when it comes to alumni.

John Menard Jr. and Colin Huang have a combined net worth of north of $66 billion. Northwestern, USC, Michigan and UCLA are all in the 20 top universities *IN THE WORLD* for producing high-net worth individuals. Texas is the only school in the SEC represented in the rankings.

Furthermore, Oregon has Phil Knight backing the Ducks, and he has a net worth of around $35 billion. Now, does every single rich person donate back to the school? No, but it's clear the Big Ten produces a lot more wealth than the SEC, and the gap is outrageous.

Can the SEC compete financially with the Big Ten? (Photo by Chris Leduc/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

For example, Major SEC brands Alabama, LSU and Ole Miss don't have a single confirmed billionaire graduate still alive. LSU had Patrick F. Taylor, but he passed away more than 20 years ago.

Now, it's worth noting that it can be hard to confirm someone's net worth, and it's possible there are unknown billionaires out there not included in Forbes' data. There are also a lot of clowns out there who inflate their net worth and lie, but that's a topic for another time. It's shockingly easy to spot from a mile away. Yet, they keep doing it!

The point is that as much as SEC fans might not like hearing it, SEC programs simply do not produce the kind of wealth the Big Ten does, and it's not particularly close. Wisconsin has produced more billionaires than most SEC powers combined, and the Badgers aren't even close to touching Michigan at the moment. Hell, Maryland even has multiple billionaire alumni.

Now, to be clear, I still love all my SEC people. Some Ole Miss people showed me an epic time in Oxford, and I hope people in Tuscaloosa do the same next weekend if I show up for the Wisconsin game (send all tips for visiting Tuscaloosa to David.Hookstead@outkick.com).

Nick Saban says the SEC lacks true generational wealth. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

We'll see if the SEC can ever close the gap, but it doesn't appear to be happening in the near future.

P.S.: I had a very wealthy Wisconsin graduate once offer me a blank check to help move some stuff in the Middle East about six years ago. I politely declined given the fact it seemed like a great way to end up knee deep in garbage I didn't want to be involved or even understood. He should have given the money to our football program instead!