Bama treating CFP semifinal as business trip

Crimson Tide not concerned with bowl experience.

NEW ORLEANS — Take a right out of the team’s hotel and walk a block or two, and Alabama football players would find themselves on Bourbon Street. Walk a few blocks in the opposite direction out of the hotel’s entrance, and the Crimson Tide would see the neon Harrah’s Casino sign.

But the Crimson Tide hope to avoid any and all distractions ahead of their fourth College Football Playoff appearance. That’s not to say the players aren’t given down time to enjoy themselves, but Alabama is approaching this as a business trip as opposed to a bowl game.

It was in New Orleans where Alabama made its playoff debut, losing to Ohio State in 2014. Alabama hopes to get a better result in the Big Easy when the Crimson Tide face Clemson on Monday.

“I think when we first came to the first game four years ago, we were trying to balance the bowl experience sort of with the whole playoff experience, not having ever done that before,” Alabama coach Nick Saban said Wednesday.

“And I think what our players — because our players make the decisions about curfew and what they do and how they do it. I give the leadership on the team the opportunity to do that. And each year they’re more and more serious about the game and less and less interested in the bowl experience, because they’ve experienced consequences in the game — good consequences and bad consequences.”

Alabama and Clemson will lock horns for the third time in the playoff when the Sugar Bowl kicks off at 8:45 p.m. Alabama won the 2015 national championship over Clemson in Arizona, while Clemson took the championship rematch in Tampa, Fla., to claim the title the following season.

Saban didn’t elaborate on what time Alabama’s leadership set for curfew but expects the rules to be strictly enforced.

“I think they understand that after going through that experience as I do, the thought of it all is having success, the thought of it all is winning the game,” Saban said.

“And no matter what you do you don’t remember all the things that you did, but you always remember whether you won or lost the game. So, that’s changed a little bit with our players, which doesn’t disappoint me at all. I love to see them have the opportunity to have a good time and be rewarded for having a good season.

“But the playoffs have significant consequences, and the opportunity that you have really doesn’t afford itself, the two don’t fit together that well.”

Alabama running back Damien Harris understands that bowl obligations come with the territory. He looks forward to the team getting on a regular practice schedule.

“That’s definitely a huge distraction. This is a business trip for us,” Harris said. “We’re not looking to see what we can get into in New Orleans. We’re focused on how we can beat Clemson. That’s all this team is worried about. All the outside stuff is just stuff we have to block out. We have to stay focused and prepare the best we can for Jan. 1.”

Minkah Fitzpatrick is similar to Saban from a personality standpoint. Fitzpatrick has been a key player in both of Alabama’s past two playoff runs, so he hasn’t let himself get caught up in the hype of bowl week.

“For me personally, it wasn’t that hard because I was just being business-minded,” Fitzpatrick said. “I came here to win the game, not to have fun for real. But I think you can get caught up — especially if you’re not playing — you can get caught up in the whole atmosphere of the bowl game. You know, you have the player’s lounge, the (fact that) they let you go out around the city and stuff like that.

“So you can get caught up in it, but I think we did a pretty good job explaining to them what we’re here for. Coach (Saban) did a good job, and I think everybody is just locked in.”