LAST WORD

“TO GET A GROUP OF PEOPLE TO BE SPECIAL ALL THE TIME, IN EVERY SITUATION, WITH ALL THE NOISE AND EXTERNAL FACTORS AND ALL THE STUFF THAT’S OUT THERE, IT’S A REAL CHALLENGE. AND THAT’S WHY PEOPLE IN THE TOP 10 GET BEAT EVERY WEEK.” Alabama coach Nick Saban, saying he understands where Washington State’s Mike Leach was coming from when he called his team “a bunch of pathetic front-runners” after the then-No. 9 Cougars lost 37-3 to California.