Alabama’s Nick Saban Concerned with ‘Rat Poison’ as Season Begins

Nick Saban the head football coach at the University of Alabama startled listeners of his weekly coaches show with a lengthy diatribe about "rat poison". Now, you're probably thinking that a man compensated as well as Nick Saban is paid would have no issues with rats, nor would he have the need to know about rat poison. But the kind of poison Coach Saban is talking about has nothing to do with rodents.

During the course of Hey Coach which was broadcast on Thursday night, Saban brought up the issue of "rat poison" this way. He explained to the host of the show and to those listening that he has had hundreds of people ask him how the Tide will do against the University of Texas. Saban's issue with the question is this. Alabama doesn't play Texas this Saturday.

They play Utah State.

Not to take anything away from the Aggies (Utah State) but they certainly aren't Texas and Las Vegas thinks the Crimson Tide will roll with no problems when they meet in Tuscaloosa on Saturday night. Even though Utah State has already won a game this season the Aggies are 42.5-point underdogs according to Fan Duel.

The ability of fans to look past an opponent to another opponent is nothing new, however, that kind of thinking can destroy a team's chance at a national championship if the players and coaches start to believe it. You're familiar with the term "trap game"? No this isn't one of those. This is vintage Nick Saban.

Saban calls the "overlook thinking" rat poison and this isn't the first time he's chided Alabama fans for being just a bit too cocky about the team and its ability to win games. It might sound like "coach speak" but it's true, you have to play the games one at a time and I am sure Coach Saban still remembers that one time when the mighty Tide looked passed UL Monroe and lost the game 21-14 in 2007.

No, Nick Saban didn't like the taste of that rat poison then and he for sure doesn't want that taste in his mouth courtesy of Utah State. Oh, speaking of the Warhawks of UL Monroe, they play Alabama in just a few weeks on September 17th. Of course, the boys from Monroe may be a bit banged up, oddly enough they face the University of Texas on Saturday.

Meanwhile, that matchup with Alabama and Texas will be next Saturday, September 10th. I'm pretty sure Alabama will be undefeated heading into that game, but I sure as heck ain't gonna say that in front of Coach Saban.