Nick Saban Thanks Media for Negative Stories on Alabama: That Rat Poison Was Yummy

AP Photo/John Bazemore

The No. 3 Alabama Crimson Tide didn't have much trouble with the No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs en route to a 41-24 win in the SEC Championship Game on Saturday.

After the game, Alabama football head coach Nick Saban credited the media's pessimism regarding the Crimson Tide's chances in this game as motivational fuel for his players in the week leading up to this matchup.

The "rat poison" remark refers to a comment Saban made after the Crimson Tide won 27-19 over Texas A&M in October 2017. It specifically calls to his disdain for positive press the team was receiving prior to an ugly victory of the Aggies.

Michael Casagrande of al.com provided those quotes.

"We just didn't play as well tonight, and you have to give them a lot of credit for it. I'm trying to get our players to listen to me instead of listening to you guys. All that stuff you write about how good we are, all that stuff they hear on ESPN, it's like poison. It's like taking poison. Like rat poison."

Many pundits had Georgia, a 6.5-point pregame favorite, winning this game.

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Instead, Alabama quarterback Bryce Young torched the vaunted No. 1 Georgia defense to the tune of 421 passing yards and three touchdowns. Alabama's defense did well enough to win this game, intercepting quarterback Stetson Bennett twice and sacking him three times.

Now, Alabama and Georgia are both assuredly headed to the College Football Playoff, with their seedings to-be-determined. The Crimson Tide will likely be No. 1, while Georgia figures to slot in at No. 2 or No. 3, setting up a potential rematch in the national title game.