I think it was Bear Bryant -way back in the days of segregation - that was ‘always’ crying about Bama being a powerhouse in the South but go to Michigan and Ohio etc and get our backsides handed to us by players that grew up in the shadows of ‘Bama but weren’t allowed to play in Alabama.
It changed....
That’s why Bear scheduled to play USC in 1970, he knew Bama would get their hides tanned and force to the school to allow black players.