Nick Saban on Cotton Bowl matchup with Cincinnati: ‘As good a team as we’ve played all year’

Nick Saban isn’t giving the Cincinnati Bearcats any sort of bulletin board material as he praises the underdog program for what they’ve accomplished this year.

Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban is probably one of the best motivators in all of college football. He appears to understand the way college football players and coaches think and operate better than most. And that would make sense with how successful he’s been over the entirety of his career.

So, it would also make sense that, right before what is arguably the biggest game in Cincinnati Bearcats history, Saban wouldn’t do anything that could give the upstart team any sort of motivation.

According to a report by ESPN’s Chris Low, Saban made sure to praise Cincinnati. On Thursday, Saban said the Bearcats are “as good a team as we’ve played all year.”

That’s high praise as Alabama has played some pretty good teams.

Alabama vs. Cincinnati: Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban praises Bearcats before Cotton Bowl

And in all honesty, the Bearcats do appear to be one of the best teams in the country. It’s easy for many to simply look at things on the surface, take a look at Cincinnati’s conference and history, and to write the Bearcats off as a result. Teams like Cincinnati get overlooked and disrespected on a regular basis.

But the Bearcats have an impressive offense and stout defense. Cincinnati is scoring 39.2 points per game (good for ninth-best nationally) and holding foes to 16.1 points per game (good for fourth-best nationally).

According to ESPN’s Football Power Index, Cincinnati sits at No. 7 nationally. Bill Connelly’s SP+ rankings have the Bearcats ranked as the No. 5 team following the conference championships.

This is a really good team.

Alabama is great, as always, but with the way the Crimson Tide have been a bit up and down at times this season, it’s wise for Saban and his team to be focused in on what Cincinnati is capable of.

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