HOOVER, Ala. — Did looking ahead result in Alabama getting left behind in last season’s College Football Playoff semifinal against Ohio State?
Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban brought up that possibility Wednesday morning during his 14th appearance at Southeastern Conference Media Days. Saban is entering his ninth season in Tuscaloosa after spending five years at LSU, with a two-year stint leading the NFL’s Miami Dolphins in between.
Alabama’s Kenyan Drake speaks to the media at the Southeastern Conference NCAA college football media days, Wednesday, July 15, 2015, in Hoover, Ala. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
“In our experience last year, our team chemistry from the SEC championship game to the playoff game was affected by something,” Saban said.
Alabama drubbed Missouri 42-13 in last season’s SEC title matchup in early December, and Saban believes several of his underclassmen may have been distracted by where they might be picked in the NFL draft. The deadline for underclassmen to submit assessment requests to the NFL is Dec. 15, with players getting their assessments back from the league’s draft advisory board around Christmas.
Last season’s semifinals were held on New Year’s Day, with Alabama jumping out to a 21-6 lead on the Buckeyes in New Orleans before losing 42-35. The Crimson Tide closed the 2013 season, which was the final year of the BCS, with a 45-31 upset loss to Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl.