Nick Saban addresses potential opt-out players ahead of Sugar Bowl

Alabama is an exotic situation, having missed the College Football Playoff for the second time since its inception. Which means their postseason games mean just a little bit less than they normally do. So the Tide and head coach Nick Saban have to deal with older players opting out of the game while some of the underclassmen are already in the portal and skipping the bowl game altogether. It won’t be an Alabama team at 100% when the Sugar Bowl kicks off.

For Coach Saban, his focus remains on the players that are willing and wanting to play. He’s still laser focused on getting the job done with the guys he has available, even if the game isn’t terribly important in the big picture.

At his press conference this week, Saban was asked how he goes about having guys transfer and opt out before the bowl game. Of course, he maintained his next-man-up, business-first mindset.

Nick Saban on players opting out of bowl game

“I think, you know, we’re going to coach the players that are there. I’ll try to coach them to do the best possible job that they can,” said Saban, before he complimented the players who did stick around.

‘We certainly have a great amount of appreciation and respect for the guys who, you know, are going to finish the the season with the team, and we’re going to do the best job that we can to help those guys, put those guys in a position where they have a chance to be successful. There’ll be some opportunity for some new guys, no question. But we’re looking forward to the challenge.”

It’ll be Kansas State and Alabama in the Sugar Bowl this year. The Crimson Tide arrived there via a very disappointing season, meanwhile, the Wildcats are enjoying their best season in who knows how long. So you’d have to expect a far more motivated Wildcats squad in this one compared to Alabama.

But, Nick Saban says he’ll have his guys ready to play at the same level as every other game. So maybe the Tide come out and make a statement to end the year. Either way, we’ll find out on New Year’s Eve.