Alabama Before the Big Game: Pregame Insight to the Tide

The mood for the trip to California was set in stone before the plane ever left Alabama. "Guys, this is a business trip," would have been the mantra.

From the time the plane touched down, everything was scripted, planed and Sabanesque. No walking through an airport like rock stars, the bus picked them up at the tarmac and drove them straight to a hotel where fans were kept at bay by security.

Halls at the hotel were blocks and everything was bundled so coaches and players were all together and everything could be watched.

The practice field wasn't to Saban's liking and was changed from Orange Coast College to a high school across the street where they had real grass instead of astro turf and more room to spread out.

Saban must have grumbled over the lack of privacy even there and temporary fences were installed with view blockers, but anyone who wanted to see what was going on badly enough certainly could.

After the first practice, the team came back to the hotel, showered, cleaned up and got to enjoy a few short hours at Disneyland while their coach did press interviews and played nice to the press and tried to act as if he were enjoying himself posing with a girl in a smelly rat suit and bow tie.

He even poked fun of himself when he was asked if he was having fun. He said he has fun at practice but yes, he appreciates the trouble everyone went to trying to arrange some fun and put on his best fake smile to show he was trying to have fun.

For the players, being at Disney was not much more fun than what Saban went through. First of all the time was far too short and the fans mobbed them everywhere they went. But still, this was Disneyland and it was perhaps a little needed distraction for while.

This BCS game actually has less "party and social activities" than other bowls. In a sense it reflects what coaches are trying to impart on their teams, this is a serious game for serious people for serious stakes.

Players like Rolando McClain kept it all in perspective when he said, "I've got the rest of my life to party, but this is the one and only chance I'll ever have to play for a college championship."

If all the players feel like that, the Tide won't come out flat footed as they did last year in the Sugar Bowl.