"Playing out the string" hasn't exactly been the November motto for Alabama football during the Nick Saban era.
Were it not for the Iron Bowl losses of 2013 and 2019, the Crimson Tide would have entered this season seeking a 12th consecutive berth in either the Bowl Championship Series title game, which existed from 1998 through 2013, or the College Football Playoff. Yet last week's 32-31 overtime loss at LSU coupled with last month's 52-49 setback at Tennessee have saddled Alabama with a 7-2 record and without a seat at its traditional postseason table.
"I think the mindset right now is just finishing out the season the way we should and the way we want to," senior defensive lineman Byron Young said this week during a news conference. "It's a challenge, but we still have a lot to play for. We've got to play for the 'A' and for the name on the back of our jersey and for everybody beside us.
"I'm going to come in every day and work just like I'm playing for a national championship, and that's what I expect everybody else to do."
With a 4-2 mark in Southeastern Conference contests, Alabama is third in the SEC West race behind LSU (7-2, 5-1) and Ole Miss (8-1, 4-1) heading into Saturday's showdown between the No. 10 Tide and the No. 11 Rebels at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Alabama-Ole Miss is the highest-ranked matchup college football offers this weekend, but for the Crimson Tide to reach the SEC title game for a 10th time in Saban's tenure, LSU must lose its final two conference contests against Arkansas and Texas A&M.
LSU must play the Razorbacks and the Aggies on the road, but that tandem is a combined 3-8 within the league.
"I know people have kind of written us off to some degree, but at the same time, I think we have a lot of pride in our organization," Saban said. "It's a challenge for all of us to have pride, and we're going to play a good team this week. I'm sure they're going to want to put up on their mantle, 'We beat Alabama, too.'
"It's a matter of whether we're going to allow that to happen, or do we do whatever we can to avoid it."
Alabama will close out its regular season with home games against Austin Peay and a struggling Auburn, so a triumph Saturday would be a sizable step towards a 14th 10-win regular season in the last 15 years. The only exception was the Crimson Tide's 9-3 regular season of 2010, which was followed by their 49-7 pummeling of Michigan State in the Citrus Bowl.
The Crimson Tide also played in the Citrus Bowl after the 2019 season, thumping Michigan 35-16, but a 10-2 regular season this year would certainly land Alabama in a New Year's Six Bowl.
Just not one with a direct path to Saban's seventh national championship in Tuscaloosa.
"There is still a lot to play for, because we still have a standard to uphold," junior guard Javion Cohen said. "It's all been positive talk. We pull from our leaders, and we're all on the same page. It's not over because we took a loss.
"There are still games to be played, and we're all looking forward to Ole Miss this week."
No public analyzing
Alabama's offense has struggled in chunks of games under second-year coordinator Bill O'Brien, most notably against Texas, Texas A&M, Mississippi State and LSU.
Saban was asked this week to assess O'Brien's performance.
"There are things we need to do better in every part of our organization," Saban said. "I'm not going to analyze somebody publicly, whether good, bad or indifferent. We're working hard together, and we're all responsible for what we do."
Alabama's 483.1 yards per game is slightly behind last season's 488.2-yard clip, and its scoring average of 41.8 is ahead of last year's 39.9-point average.
Tide tidbits
Alabama holds a commanding 57-10-2 series advantage against Ole Miss and has won the past six meetings. ... The Crimson Tide have scored 42 or more points in each of the past six series meetings. ... Junior running back and former Dalton High standout Jahmyr Gibbs has rushed for 771 yards and 6.8 yards per carry, and he is averaging 144.4 all-purpose yards per game. ... Take away the 10 times Bryce Young has been sacked this season, and the reigning Heisman Trophy winner has rushed 20 times for 211 yards (10.6 a carry). ... Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin is seeking his first career win over Alabama in his fourth try.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com.