Publicly, I’m sure Penn St. begged to be included in the Playoff with Ohio St.
But privately, they didn’t want to be the 4th seed to get humiliated by Alabama.
I don’t think Nick Saban is anything special as a head coach. He just knows how to recruit the best players. Every one on his team has NFL size and speed. He just has so many players bigger and faster than every one else they can play just an average game and beat anybody by 20.
Their only weakness is their QB.
I don’t think a coach can be as successful as Saban and not be special.
Do you remember when Bama was killing Notre Dame in the championship game...and the QB and center almost got in a fist fight over a miscommunication?
Why would they care - the game was practically over, and the center was a senior. They cared because Saban led them to the point where they care about every play, no matter the circumstance. That’s what makes Saban a special coach...and IMHO why he was only average in the pros. Once players go pro, get agents, etc...that sort of stuff is a lot harder to do.
I think the Washington v Alabama game will be closer than anyone thinks. Chris Peterson has a record going back to Boise State of pulling off big upsets. Alabama has everything to lose. Washington has nothing to lose.