7X champ Nick Saban makes his SEC championship game prediction (and it does not have Alabama)

On Monday, during his first SEC (Southeastern Conference) media days as a civilian, the retired Nick Saban was denied entry into the venue. He later revealed that it was because he had left his credentials behind in his hotel room.

The seven-time national championship-winning coach predicted the two teams that he foresees making the conference's championship game. Surprisingly, neither of them was his former side, now coached by Kalen DeBoer.

"I got Georgia and Texas (in the SEC Championship)," Nick Saban said. "If Texas can replace some of the interior defensive linemen they lost and their defense comes through. They're really good offensively. Quinn Ewers has missed time the last couple of years, but Arch Manning was lights out in the spring game. That depth at quarterback is really important for them. I really like Texas."

Nick Saban highlights strange media days experience

The retired Nick Saban had a different experience looking in from the outside for the first time in 17 years when he was denied access to the venue of the SEC media days.

He detailed his experience during an appearance on Get Up, after finally being allowed entry into the venue for the event.

"It's a little different," Saban said. "I've never worn a credential in my life and was always for 17 years able to get into SEC Media Day without a credential. I had to go back to the room today and get my credentials to get in. But now that I'm on your team, I guess it's a little different."

Saban then revealed how the conference media days helped him get his team ready for the upcoming season during his 17-year tenure as coach of the Crimson Tide.

"First of all, this SEC Media Day was kind of D-Day for me because in January, you spend time developing your team. February is spring practice and summer is conditioning, so your focus is really on developing your team," Nick Saban said. "Then, all of sudden when you get here, you say, 'Oh boy, there's a lot of competition, so we got to start to get ready for the season.' So, it was really kind of D-Day for me in terms of transitioning your team from developing to getting ready to compete."

The retired coach will certainly not be making the same mistake again. The SEC media days continue during the week with his successor in Tuscaloosa, coach Kalen DeBoer, poised to speak on Wednesday.