SEC Network radio host Paul Finebaum was asked by Mike Greenberg on ESPN’s Mike & Mike about Alabama “propping up” the rest of the SEC.

He offered some interesting comments on why he believes the SEC isn’t as good as it once was.

“It’s time to tell the truth down here,” Finebaum said. “The SEC won six straight national championships and owned college football, but it doesn’t anymore. And I think the coaching hires have been very questionable — a lot recycled coaches, a lot of Nick Saban disciples. Some have worked out, some haven’t.

“I think there is a coaching crisis in the SEC right now. It doesn’t compare to the upper echelon of the Big Ten, the ACC or even the Pac-12,” he said. “I still think if you show up in late April on draft day, you’re going to see more SEC players selected, but it doesn’t translate on the field — and I think it’s because of the head coaching position.

“There are some really average to terrible coaching jobs being done in this conference right now.”

Over the last two years, the SEC is 16-20 against non-conference Power Five opponents. The three conferences mentioned above all have better records in such games.

Finebaum said the SEC has one certain national contender at the moment in Alabama and possibly a second in Georgia. And as he put it, “maybe Auburn” before the season started.

“The fan bases across the board are just downright angry. A lot of these fans don’t think they have the right coach,” Finebaum added.

He listed Kevin Sumlin, Bret Bielema, Butch Jones, Gus Malzahn and Jim McElwain as examples of coaches at schools with fans who have called his radio show angry.