Alabama football is back in the College Football Playoff.
Nick Saban saw his team miss out on being in the final four in 2022, settling for a Allstate Sugar Bowl win over Kansas State inside Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, La. He understands the importance of taking advantage of every marquee moment against elite competition. The Crimson Tide defeated top-ranked Georgia to capture a Southeastern Conference Championship, but now it takes on top-ranked Michigan in the Rose Bowl. Alabama is an underdog for its meeting with the Wolverines, but Saban wants the intensity level of the Tide to be on point. He spoke on the Pat McAfee Show about how excellence has a price.
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Saban, 72, is going for his eighth national championship of his coaching tenure.
“Excellence has a price and it doesn’t come easy.. you gotta pay for it up front too”
Coach Saban #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/1f8oV8mRNW
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) December 21, 2023
“We have some responsibilities that go with the territory,” Saban said about media obligations for him and the team going into the Rose Bowl. “It takes mature guys to be able to manage external factors that can cloud how focused you are. What I try to emphasize to our players is ‘look man, when we are here … we have to focus. I know it will be Christmas in a couple days, but we got to focus on practice, we have to focus on meetings, and we have to reinvest in what we have to do to play well in this game. Excellence has a price. It does not come easy, it is not free. We all have to make an investment in what he got to do when we’re here.”
Saban wants the players to enjoy the Christmas break, but he wants them to return locked in on the mission.
Alabama is pursuing its 19th national championship in school history.
The Tide takes on Michigan on New Year’s Day.
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Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
