HOOVER, Ala. — University of Alabama football coach Nick Saban has reminded every member of the 2012 squad that this season is simply another test for his program to learn how to deal with success.
Saban does this just in case they hadn’t learned this lesson enough after four straight double-digit win seasons.
However after following up the 2009 national championship season with a highly disappointing three-loss campaign two years ago, Saban sees the 2012 season, where the Crimson Tide will once again come in as defending champions, as an opportunity to repeat more successfully.
“Having success in a football program can have two effects,” Saban said. “You can demand more success or you can get a little complacent and be relaxed about what you have accomplished, really think more about what you did rather than what you’re going to do. It’s human nature to relax.”
Alabama returns 11 total starters from last year’s team but only four players in the defensive front-seven – a program when the Tide struggled to losses at the University of South Carolina, at Louisiana State University and against Auburn University in 2010.
“The message is the same (as in 2010),” Alabama senior offensive lineman Barrett Jones said. “It’s not going to sneak up on us this year. We know that we have to if anything, work harder this year than last year. We have a lot of guys from that 2010 season and we all had a bad feeling from that season and we don’t want to feel that way again.”
Saban also got another opportunity to make his case for the future four-team college football playoff being the four best teams in the nation instead of allowing conference affiliation become part of the discussion.
“I think, to be quite honest with you, whoever’s making the statements about conference champions [getting into the playoff] is really making a statement against the SEC and against any league who has more than one good team who would qualify, trying to enhance the opportunity for somebody from their league to get in,” Saban said.
Banks, Jackson and Lawrence earn All-SEC honors from media; Bulldogs picked sixth in the West: Mississippi State University had three players receive All-Southeastern Conference honors by the selected media Thursday.
Bulldogs offensive lineman Gabe Jackson and cornerback Johnthan Banks were both league’s second team. MSU senior linebacker Cam Lawrence, the league’s leading returner tackler from the 2011 season, was on the third team defense. Banks joined Lawrence for his second personal selection by being named as a third-team specialist.
The media’s list, which doesn’t separate cornerbacks and safeties in the defensive back position category for voting, was the only highly-known process where Banks wasn;t a first-team selection in the league.
The media also predicted MSU finish sixth in the Western Division behind LSU, Alabama, Arkanas, Auburn and Texas A&M but just ahead of rival Ole Miss.
Georgia was predicted to win the Eastern Division followed by South Carolina, Florida, Missouri, Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Kentucky. LSU, who won the SEC last season but lost to Alabama in the 2012 BCS national championship game, was predicted to repeat as the league champion.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 35 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 35 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
