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Alabama football coach Nick Saban has never been one to welcome praise from outside of the program. So when the Crimson Tide were ranked No. 1 overall in the latest AP Top 25 Poll, it was only a matter of time until we received a brilliant quote from the head coach.
Saban was speaking to reporters about Alabama’s newest ranking and, predictably, he downplayed any significance.
You can bother Saban with your rankings when the season is over.
“I don’t think it really matters at all where you’re ranked or rated right now,” Saban told reporters, according to Saturday Down South. “It only matters when it’s in January. When the season’s over, that’s all that matters. It can slip away very quickly. As it did last week, it wasn’t even because the team (Clemson) didn’t win. It must’ve been somebody’s perception of how they played. So it’s not even about winning, it’s about how you played.
“Every player creates value by being his best every time he gets the opportunity. The scoreboard shouldn’t matter. Who you’re playing shouldn’t matter. And where you’re ranked shouldn’t matter. And what somebody says on the internet shouldn’t matter. You should be playing because you want to get the self-satisfaction to know you did the best to be the best that you can be. Hopefully, that’s what we can get our players to focus on.”
Never change, Nick Saban.
The way that Saban is able to cancel out noise from the outside is part of the reason Alabama is always able to stay focus on their ultimate goal.
Alabama leapfrogged defending national champion Clemson for the top ranking with a 59-31 win over Ole Miss on Saturday, September 28. The Crimson Tide kick off the month of October with a bye week, before traveling to College Station on Saturday, October 12 for a meeting with No. 25 Texas A&M.
