Nick Saban may have lost the battle in Destin but he'll likely win the war.

On Friday, the Southeastern Conference's executive committee passed a bylaw change that allows graduate transfers to play immediately when transferring within the league.

Previously, the SEC bylaws demanded a year-in-residency before an intra-conference transfer was eligible to play. The SEC has, on occasion, granted exemptions like it did when Maurice Smith left Alabama for Georgia in 2016.

The rule change could benefit reserve Alabama lineman Brandon Kennedy who is interested in transferring to Auburn or Tennessee but to this point has been unable to do so without losing a year of eligibility. Alabama can still block Kennedy from transferring to specific programs though that would change if the NCAA passes new notification of transfer legislation this month that prevents schools from blocking players transferring to particular institutions. It seems likely at this point that Alabama will just relent and let Kennedy go wherever he wants.

The SEC's decision comes days after Saban reiterated his disapproval of the proposed rule change to allow transfers to move freely within the league. Saban complained that he was being singled out for his opposition -- "Why is it on me?" -- and said he was simply following the rules. That wasn't a new stance for Saban -- he offered a similar explanation during the Maurice Smith saga and has privately grumbled about the resolution ever since -- but he did offer a smart takeaway if the vote didn't go his way.

"To be honest with you, if we allow that to happen in our league, I think it will benefit some schools more than others," Saban said. "And I think we're one of the schools it would benefit."

It's hard to imagine that observation not proving accurate. Despite his steadfast opposition to the rule change, Saban's Alabama program could benefit as much or more than any other SEC school. Alabama is already one of the most attractive landing spots for high school recruits and there's no reason to assume that won't be the case for graduate transfers, too.

Consider this: Rival SEC players have an up-close look at just how good Alabama is year-after-year. They know that Alabama competes for national championships and pumps players into the NFL annually. With Friday's vote, it made it easier for Alabama to poach a plug-and-play cornerback from Kentucky or a right guard from Vanderbilt. Alabama has had to search far and wide in the past to obtain graduate transfers - Richard Mullaney (Oregon State) and Gehrig Dieter (Bowling Green) are two recent examples - but can now double-benefit by nabbing an impact player away from a rival. If Alabama misses on a top target or two on National Signing Day, all it has to do is look around the SEC and target a graduating player at a position of need. Opposing SEC coaches will have to spend even more time on retaining their current players to fight off transfer intrigue.

Alabama won't be the only SEC school to benefit - the monster that Kirby Smart is building in Athens should also be an attractive landing spot - but the Crimson Tide could be the biggest benefactor despite the head coach's public opposition.

That's the way it's typically played out during the Saban era in Tuscaloosa. The Alabama head coach will oppose a rule - usually because it's geared at eliminating some perceived advantage the school has - and yet even if it passes, Alabama experiences no significant downturn.

There was the 2008 rule that banned head coaches from evaluating prospects in the spring. There was the oversigning package in 2011. Most recently, there was legislation that banned former players from practicing after Alabama used John Parker Wilson, Blake Sims and others to help in recent years.

Like the other rules intended to abate Saban, the new graduate transfer rule will likely prove ineffective even if it makes it easier for the Brandon Kennedys of the world to transfer within the conference. Worse for the other SEC programs, this rule might make Alabama even more powerful.

John Talty is the sports editor for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @JTalty.