Instead, here we are again with the Crimson Tide headed to Indianapolis — blemishes and all — to face either Georgia or Michigan on Jan. 10. Same as it ever was.
"I’m really, really proud of our team, our players," Saban said. "I think they showed great competitive character out there in this game. It was a tough game, we knew it was a tough game, guys showed a lot of resiliency all year long to have the opportunity to get to this game. It was a great team win for us, and now they’ve created the opportunity to play for a national championship which I’m extremely proud of this group for that."