Nick Saban says Alabama Football not considered an elite team

On Thursday night, Nick Saban acknowledged a current opinion across college football. That opinion is Alabama Football is not an elite team this season. Saban said that and more on his weekly Hey Coach radio show.

The full video from the Thursday night broadcast is available in the tweet below. The Nick Saban portion begins at the 38-minute mark.

Saban’s elite comment was purposeful. He explained why not being elite is a current assessment of the Crimson Tide. More importantly for his players and Crimson Tide fans, he was specific about what causes the deficiency and what needs to be done about it.

Nick Saban Thursday Night Comments

• “Our team last year had a great sense of purpose,” Saban said. They were up and excited for every game they played because they were upset about how the 2019 team finished. They were older and more experienced with strong leadership. The motivation was internal, “which is what you want it to be, not external”
• “We have a lot of guys who never lost a game. So, you forget the feeling.”
• On not being viewed as elite – “They (his team) need to play a 60-minute game”
• “We don’t sustain very well, in terms of the level that we need to play and that’s something that’s gotta get better.”

Other than the ‘elite’ admission, nothing in Nick Saban’s Thursday night message was new. His concern the 2021 team has not fully understood the level of preparation required to be a championship contender, goes back to last spring. “Not sustaining well” has been a Saban theme all season. Now that more of his players have experienced the consequences of a loss, the Alabama Football coach is anticipating better performance against Mississippi State.

There is a credible claim Jimbo Fisher had a better game plan for the Crimson Tide than the Tide did for the Aggies. If true, it is disconcerting for Alabama football fans to think the Tide can be out-coached. Nick Saban has always been more concerned about what his team does or doesn’t do, rather than what an opponent does. Plans, schemes, play-calling are vitally important, but Nick Saban puts preparation and the right player mindset in front of all the ‘x-and-o’ stuff.

What Alabama Football players face after the first loss in 20 games is not preparing and competing at the level of the ‘Alabama Standard.’ Will Anderson Jr. has stepped up to admit it and challenge his teammates. Hopefully, others in the Tide locker room have done the same.

Saban also said he doesn’t care when teams have an extra week to prepare for the Tide. Mississippi State did not play last week.