There are 130 programs in college football’s Bowl Subdivision.
Imagine finishing ahead of 128 of them and considering it a disappointment.
Welcome to Alabama’s world in the Nick Saban era, where it has been national championship or bust ever since the Crimson Tide won three titles in a four-year stretch from 2009-12. Alabama will be seeking a third national crown in a five-year period Monday night at Lucas Oil Stadium, where the top-seeded Crimson Tide (13-1) will collide with third-seeded Georgia (13-1) in a rematch of last month’s Southeastern Conference championship game that Alabama won 41-24.
“That’s what you commit to when you’re coming out of high school,” Alabama junior safety Jordan Battle said Saturday on a Zoom call. “You know the standard is what it is and that it’s a national championship-minded standard. You know you have to do whatever it takes just to get to this stage, and we know it’s going to be hard.
“We know we’re going to have to overcome some adversity, but that’s what this team has done this year.”