Alabama has yet to play a game during the 2022 college football season, but coach Nick Saban is already tired of the hype surrounding the team.
Saban bemoaned the media attention being given to the No. 1-ranked Crimson Tide ahead of their season opener against Utah State in a news conference Thursday. He used one of his favorite metaphors to describe the fanfare around Alabama.
“I think the rat poison this year, not to bring up a sore subject, it’s worse than ever,” Saban said, per AL.com’s Mike Rodak. “I’ve had more people ask me about how we’re going to do against Texas this week than how we’re going to do against Utah State.”
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The “rat poison” metaphor dates back to a 2017 game between Alabama and Texas A&M. The Crimson Tide won, but they struggled to score in the second half of a tightly contested 27-19.
“I’m trying to get our players to listen to me instead of listening to you guys,” Saban said at the time. “All that stuff you write about how good we are, all that stuff they hear on ESPN, it’s like poison. It’s like taking poison. Like rat poison.”
Since then, Saban has used that term as a way to describe the media- and fan-fueled hype around his team. He has usually viewed it in a negative context, but he actually referred to it as “yummy” after Alabama’s confidence-building win over Georgia in the SEC Championship Game last season.
It’s easy to understand why Saban isn’t a fan of his team getting that type of publicity. Not only does it create lofty expectations for his clubs, but it can breed complacency among players if they buy into the narrative.
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Still, the Crimson Tide enters the 2022 campaign as the No. 1 team in college football for a reason. Heisman-winning quarterback Bryce Young is returning to headline a team that made it to the national championship game last season. They will have to replace some key playmakers including Jameson Williams and John Metchie III, but the team’s strong recruiting classes of recent seasons give them plenty of depth with which to do that.
Saban wants to avoid overlooking opponents, no matter how superior Alabama is supposed to be compared to them. That explains his frustration with the focus he has seen on Alabama’s Week 2 opponent Texas.
Even still, the Crimson Tide’s Week 1 matchup against Utah State should be an easy win. Saban might view that as rat poison, but it would be a monumental upset if the Aggies are able to topple the Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa to kickstart the college football season.
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