Alabama has won six college football national championships during the Nick Saban era via multiple routes.
His first title with the Crimson Tide during the 2009 season and last year's crown transpired with undefeated records, one without a global pandemic and the other amid one. Alabama won the 2011 championship over LSU after losing at home to the Tigers during the regular season, while Saban's 2017 team claimed a national title without winning its conference, division or even its state after rebounding from a loss at Auburn.
Saban's latest challenge is having to beat Georgia twice within 40 days and replicate or somehow improve on the outcome of the Southeastern Conference championship that the Crimson Tide won going away 41-24.
"I think it sort of speaks to itself in terms of we're obviously going to evaluate how we did in the last game, and they're going to evaluate how they did in the last game," Saban said Monday afternoon on a Zoom call. "They're going to try and take advantage of things that we did, and we're going to try to take advantage of things and correct things that we didn't do well. In that, there are some subtle changes that you need to make so that you put your players in the best chance to be successful.
"You're always going to see something new and different, so players are always going to have to adapt in a game. I don't think you do everything the same, but I also don't think you can make a lot of changes that players won't be able to go out and execute with confidence."
Alabama and Georgia began practices Monday for next Monday night's championship game of the four-team playoff in Indianapolis. The Crimson Tide and Bulldogs advanced to their rematch with ease last Friday, with Alabama plowing through Cincinnati in the Cotton Bowl 27-6 and Georgia decking Michigan early and often in the Orange Bowl in a 34-11 whipping.
Last month inside Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium, The Crimson Tide used a stunning 38-7 run to erase Georgia's early 10-0 advantage and wound up shredding the nation's top defense behind sophomore quarterback Bryce Young, who cemented the Heisman Trophy with 421 passing yards and 40 rushing yards. Alabama racked up 536 yards and 7.7 yards per play while holding Georgia to 109 rushing yards and intercepting Stetson Bennett twice.
"That was last game, and we have to focus on this game," Alabama sophomore linebacker Will Anderson said, "because it's going to be a totally new game - a new area, a new setting, a new everything, so we're going to see something different and stuff that we've probably never seen before. We have to be prepared for that, and we're going to approach this game like we approach every game with the same mindset, intensity and energy.
"We're not going to try and do anything other than what we already do. We're just going to go out there and play Alabama football."
Both Saban and Georgia counterpart Kirby Smart were asked Monday how any revenge factor could come into play.
Alabama lost to LSU 9-6 in overtime during their first meeting of the 2011 season before winning 21-0 nine weeks later in New Orleans in the BCS championship. When asked Monday whether learning from those two games could help now, Saban said, "I don't know if that experience is going to have anything to do with this experience."
Georgia may have a more recent and relevant example, losing at Auburn 40-17 in November 2017 before defeating the Tigers 28-7 three weeks later in the SEC title game to clinch its first playoff trip.
"This game is irrelevant of the game we just played," Smart said, "and it's really separate from the SEC championship other than everybody obviously will be using that tape for matchups and tendencies and things. We've worked really hard these last 30 days at getting better at us. It was never about Michigan or Alabama or Cincinnati.
"It was about us, and that doesn't change with who your opponent is."
One of the biggest aspects to the rematch is the health of Alabama's offensive line after center Chris Owens and guard Emil Ekiyor were unable to finish the Cotton Bowl. Saban did not have an update Monday, adding that he would see how they progressed throughout the week.
Alabama does have a healthier Brian Robinson compared to a month ago, but it's up to Robinson and Bennett and other title participants to prepare for a familiar foe while wondering what could be different from before.
"We could assume they would come out and try to hit us with the same things as the first time, but we've got to expect them to come out with some new things and be able to adjust to it," Robinson said. "I feel like they'll come out like a completely different team in this national championship game, but we can't get caught up on what we saw in the first game. We've got to prepare for this week."
Said Bennett: "Would I prefer Alabama if they're going to change anything up to send us an email this week? I would love that, but I assume that they won't."
Another anniversary
Monday marked the 15-year anniversary of Saban being introduced in Tuscaloosa. Saban has compiled a 183-24 record but said he doesn't remember many of the details or emotions from that day.
"There have been a lot of games and a lot of third downs since that time," he said, "so it's kind of hard to remember. It's been a very good experience here."
Thomas comparisons
Anderson has been magnificent this season, racking up 98 tackles, 34.5 tackles for loss and 17.5 sacks.
One more sack would move him ahead of Derrick Thomas for the second-best season in Crimson Tide history, but Thomas followed up his 18 sacks in 1987 with a staggering 27 in 1988.
"I didn't really grow up an Alabama football fan, so I can't really say I knew anything about Derrick Thomas," Anderson said. "I really didn't grow up watching football at all, so I really don't know too much about him, but just to be mentioned with his name with all the success he had is really a blessing."
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.