Any normal rhythm to the 2020 college football season went out the window in mid-March. Now less than a week before Christmas, four semifinal teams have 12 days to prepare for a shot at the national title.
It sounds like different preparation strategies will lead Alabama and Notre Dame into the Jan. 1 Rose Bowl being played in Arlington, Texas.
Nick Saban spoke about the compression of the playoff preparation soon after the pairings were announced Sunday. He had 28 days to ready for the last semifinal trip, the 2018 Orange Bowl win over Oklahoma, so this is considerably truncated.
Saban said this scenario is akin to a bye week and that’s how Alabama plans to manage it. He likes the fact it will feel somewhat familiar for the players.
But what about Christmas?
The holiday is coming up Friday, exactly a week before kickoff in suburban Dallas.
“I don’t have the heart to tell the players they can’t go home for Christmas,” Saban said. They let players go visit families during the early November bye week while educating everyone involved to stay healthy in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic.
RELATED: Why Alabama’s playing Notre Dame in Arlington instead of New Orleans
Crimson Tide players will practice a day or two this week before getting three days off for Christmas. A normal week of practice will greet them for game week when they return.
Notre Dame players, on the other hand, will not get to go home for the holidays. Coach Brian Kelly explained the dynamics in play for a team with a roster that’s less regional than Alabama.
“With our players, we have as many from California as we do from any other state,” Kelly said. “So the logistics would be virtually impossible for us because of our roster and where everybody is from. If they were from a few hours where they could drive, we certainly could make this work but virtually all of them -- or at least a great percentage of them -- would have to get on planes.”
And that’s a headache Notre Dame is opting to avoid with this tight window between games.
RELATED: Brian Kelly: Notre Dame ‘much better prepared’ vs. Alabama than 2012
Normally, Alabama holds its team banquet the Sunday after the SEC championship game in early December. They’re doing an awards show this Sunday, Dec. 20, in place of the traditional banquet.
“But we have to get ready for a game and we have to clean up yesterday’s game,” Saban said on ESPN, referencing the 52-46 SEC title game win over Florida. “… Everything is just squeezed but a lot of the other things that goes into the life of a student athlete kinda gets squeezed a little bit too. But we don’t need three weeks off to be able to play in these games.”
Should Alabama beat Notre Dame, it’ll be nine days away from the national title game. The championship is set for 7 p.m. CT on Jan. 10 in Miami Gardens, Florida.
Michael Casagrande is a reporter for the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @ByCasagrande or on Facebook.
Article From & Read More ( Alabama, Notre Dame have different Christmas plans for players - AL.com )https://ift.tt/2WwNKef
Sports
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Alabama, Notre Dame have different Christmas plans for players - AL.com"
Post a Comment