Nick Saban explains the two different types of rat poison

Alabama head coach Nick Saban knows all about every type of rat poison. Throughout the season, Saban has preached about not wanting to hear the negative rat poison, which comes when Alabama is expected to win. As Alabama prepares for the College Football Playoff semifinal against Cincinnati, Saban elaborates on the difference between the two types of rat poison and explains which type the team is dealing with entering the CFP.

“The one where they’re telling you that you’re going to win,” Saban said on which type of rat poison he dreads the most. “Their mindset becomes all we have to do is show up and play. It usually doesn’t work that way.”

As Alabama enters the College Football Playoff semifinal as a favorite over Cincinnati, Saban hopes that he isn’t dealing with his least favorite type of rat poison.

“I hope not,” Saban continued when asked if that’s what Alabama is dealing with ahead of the CFP semifinal against Cincinnati. “I hope the players have the proper respect for Cincinnati. They’re a very, very good team. We need to respect them and we need to understand what it takes to have success against teams like this and prepare the right way and create the right habits so we can do that.”

All of the talk of two different types of rat poison is due to what happened before and after the SEC Championship game. Alabama was not favored in that game, leading to “yummy” rat poison. That is different than what Alabama has dealt with all season.

“The rat poison you usually put out there is fatal,” Saban said after Alabama’s SEC Championship victory. “But the rat poison you put out there this week was yummy.”

Saban wants Alabama to balance football, fun during CFP

Alabama will arrive in Dallas on Dec. 26 for the CFP semifinal against Cincinnati. The game is on Friday, Dec. 31. With so much time between the team’s arrival and kickoff, Saban wants to make sure Alabama is balancing preparation and fun.

“We want our players to have fun,” Saban said. “We want them to have fun in practice, we want them to have fun in the game. But we also want them to get the kind of rest, take care of themselves. Don’t put themselves in positions where it could be a detriment to their brand or their ability to get ready and perform in the game.”