Nick Saban sends clear message to team ahead of playoff

For Alabama, Michigan, Georgia and Cincinnati, it all comes down to the College Football Playoff. At this point of the season, it’s either win or go home – and it’s as simple as that. If there’s a team who knows exactly how to navigate the playoff and continue to win, it’s Alabama – which has had great success in the College Football Playoff since it was established.

Since the College Football Playoff format went into effect in 2014, the Crimson Tide have been one of four playoff teams in all but one season – and they’ve captured three national championships during that time.

With Alabama now in Dallas ahead of its matchup with Cincinnati in the College Football Playoff’s Cotton Bowl semifinal on New Year’s Eve at AT&T Stadium, Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban met with the media and shared the clear message he sent to his team heading in.

“When you’re in the playoffs, it’s all about what’s happening now, what’s in front of you now,” Saban said during a Sunday press conference. “It’s one of those you’re either going to win or go home type situations. I think players need to understand that. They’re playing against a very good team, a well-coached team, a team that’s undefeated and had a tremendous amount of success all season long. It’s not going to be easy. It will be a real battle.”

The Crimson Tide – who are ranked No. 1 in the nation – and No. 4 Cincinnati are scheduled to kickoff at 3:30 p.m. ET on Friday at AT&T Stadium on ESPN. Alabama comes in as a 13.5-point favorite, with the over/under set at 58 total points.

Saban on Alabama’s COVID-19 protocols, vaccination rate

As COVID-19 positive case numbers have significantly risen as of late, that has impacted the sports world – just like the coronavirus did all throughout 2020. While there have been multiple college football postseason bowl games canceled, nearly every team that’s still playing is doing all it can to prevent that from happening to them.

Of those teams is Alabama, which is currently in Dallas, Texas ahead of its matchup with Cincinnati in the College Football Playoff’s Cotton Bowl semifinal on New Year’s Eve at AT&T Stadium. After arriving in Dallas on Sunday, Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban met with the media and discussed COVID-19 and how his program is handling it.

“I mean, we implemented the masks, the social distancing in meetings with players way back when we started,” Saban said. “So we’re already doing all the protocols that we feel we possibly can. Our team’s all been vaccinated, 92% of our players have also had boosters. But we have encouraged them to use the same practices that we had to use a year ago – whether it’s wearing a mask in meetings, wearing a mask when you’re not in the building, social distancing when we’re in meetings.

“So if there were some new protocols that would help us be safer, we would certainly implement them, but I think we tried to implement all that we know that has worked in the past.”