Jul 24, 2014 04:06 PM EDT By Russell Westerholm, UniversityHerald Reporter

For a coach who wins as much as Nick Saban, the Sugar Bowl may feel like a "consolation game," but Bob Stoops certainly took offense.

Stoops, the Oklahoma Sooners head football coach, responded to Saban's jab during his visit to ESPN's Bristol, Conn. campus Wednesday. Saban, head football coach at Alabama, was in Bristol the day before.

"They didn't look like it was a consolation game on that first drive when they scored a touchdown and everyone thought they were going to rout us," Stoops told ESPN. "I've been in plenty of those [non-national title games]. We've played in a bunch of national championship games, right?... That's a good one."

The Big 12 is the only Power Five conference that does not have a title game separate from the BCS Championship or any other bowl game. Stoops did not necessarily advocate for a Big 12 title game, but argued that the SEC should schedule another conference game per season.

"Think about it: mathematically we play everybody, they [the SEC] don't play everybody," Stoops said. "For instance Texas A&M. They play eight conference games."

The Sugar Bowl is a BCS bowl game played in New Orleans with SEC ties. Last season, Oklahoma overcame two mid-season losses to win four straight, including a 45-31 win over Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. On the other hand, Alabama lost the SEC title game and wound up in the Sugar Bowl instead of the BCS Championship game.

Saban, who has won three National Championships with Alabama since 2009, said Tuesday he had a tough time getting his team to "try to play in a consolation game." Despite the disappointing end to their season, Alabama has a highly promising outlook for the upcoming season, thanks to a strong recruiting class.

"In the end, it's worked for us," Stoops said. "It's refreshing when you win [those type of games]. For the most part it's been positive for us."

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