Now Alabama can focus on Auburn

TUSCALOOSA — Although there is a 24-hour rule in place at Alabama — where players have 24 hours to savor wins or forget losses — it only took moments for the Crimson Tide’s head coach to turn his focus to its next game.

Why not? The clock is already ticking on a short week.

“You just have to front-end load it,” Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban said. “Any time you ... have a short week, you have to get stuff done earlier in the week and try to leave the back end the same so the players can recover and have the same routine at the end of the week.

“Basically, what we usually do on Tuesday we do on Monday, what we do on Wednesday we do on Tuesday, what we do on Thursday we’ll do on Wednesday.”

Clearly, it’s not a normal week — and this is not a normal game. Friday’s Iron Bowl is a big one — maybe too big, Saban suggested.

“I think there are probably a lot of people in Alabama, whether they’re Auburn fans or Alabama fans, that probably equate the success or failure of the season based on what happens in this game,” Saban said.

“I’m not sure that that’s exactly right. You’d like to think they (Auburn) did a really good job this season and our team has accomplished a significant amount and has a lot of things in front of them that are challenging, that they’ve created an opportunity for themselves to be able to accomplish something. But they’re all important games.”

In fact, Saban said Saturday’s victory over Chattanooga was a huge game on a couple different levels.

First, it was the next game. But the coach had a cautionary tale for his players before the game.

“If we had lost this game today, there would be nothing else that could tarnish what you’ve accomplished more than that,” Saban told his team. “You may someday be an NFL player, with a Mercedes Benz and roll your window down and talk to a pretty girl and she’ll say, ‘You lost to Chattanooga when you played at Alabama.’ ”

The laughter in the media room was the loudest of the season.

“I don’t say that in a disrespectful way because we have a lot of respect and admiration for their players,” Saban said of the Mocs. “They played hard, they’re well coached. ...

“But still, it’s the expectation out there that people have that creates that kind of thinking.”

So his talk to the players wasn’t exactly the stuff of Rockne, Holtz or Bryant, but his message seemed to hit home.

“I was pleased with the way our players responded, and they played well today,” Saban said.

As for the Iron Bowl, the coach understands the game starts a 365-day cycle.

“This is a very important game for a lot of reasons and a lot of people,” he said. “We’ll do the best we can to get our players ready to play.”

Of course, there will be more football to play after Friday’s trip to Auburn.

Saban knows what’s coming then, too.

“And next week when I have this press conference, you’re going to say, ‘Is the SEC Championship Game the most important game?’ ” he said. “You guys, you sensationalize whatever game it is however you want to do it, which is great. We have to play good every week.”