Alabama football: Nick Saban doesn’t care about College Football Playoff rankings

Alabama football drives the conversation here at the Rammer Jammer, SEC Country’s daily Alabama athletics recap, but we’ll cover news for every facet of the Crimson Tide. Every morning, we’ll be here for the latest on Alabama football, basketball and every sport on campus.

Not concerned

The first edition of the 2017 College Football Playoff rankings will come out Tuesday. Many believe Alabama will be No. 1, just as it has been the whole season in the AP poll. Despite this, Alabama coach Nick Saban isn’t concerned with the rankings. He said polls mean nothing to him at this time.

“I could care less about the poll. What significance does the poll have right now?” Saban said. “All we’re talking about here is the challenge of our season and where we’re going to be in the poll if we don’t play well in the next four games.”

In other headlines …

• Alabama safety Deionte Thompson was indicted on felony aggravated assault charges.
• Alabama defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick wants a shot at returning punts.
• Saban updated the status of defensive lineman Da’Shawn Hand and running back Josh Jacobs.
• Four Alabama players were named semifinalists for national awards on Monday.
• CBS exercised its six-day option on the kickoff time for Alabama vs. Mississippi State on Nov. 11.
• Danny Kanell put Alabama on top of a new playoff poll he created.

Eye candy

LSU offensive coordinator Matt Canada brought changes with him when he took the job in the offseason. LSU remains mostly a power team, but Canada has inserted something new to throw off defenses. The Tigers have been doing a lot more pre-snap shifts this season. Almost every play, someone on offense will go in motion. Alabama players said this can be a challenge to prepare for, because it can move a player out of position. The Crimson Tide still believe LSU’s offense is similar and the bye week helped them prepare for the shifts.

On the other side

Alabama vs. LSU has been one of the most competitive rivalries since Saban took over. Most of the games have come down to the wire. Alabama has had the most success lately, winning the last six matchups between the two teams. That has not stopped the Tigers from being confident against Alabama. On Monday, LSU linebacker Devin White said LSU is bigger and stronger than Alabama, and that “it’s time to beat them up.”

LSU coach Ed Orgeron spoke a lot about the Alabama game on Monday. He talked about everything from Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts to the influence the game has on recruiting.

“I think this is huge for us in recruiting,” Orgeron said. “I think this is huge because they have won the SEC, they have won national championships, they’re on top of the world right now. This is the benchmark.”

Around the capstone

• Alabama men’s cross country moved up to No. 2, while the women are ranked No. 4 this week.

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