Lane Kiffin Misses Bus, Left Behind Following National Championship Win

Had this happened to anybody else on the planet it is likely that nobody would even be talking about Kiffin getting left behind, but because it was the former USC head coach, Kiffin’s stranding at the National Championship became comical front page news.

The nine assistant coaches that were on the field for the championship game totaled $1.1 million in bonuses, according to USA Today.

Clemson Head Coach Dabo Swinney was named the National Coach of the Year by the American Football Coaches Association on Tuesday. However, not everybody is pleased with the bonuses.

Alabama’s four championships under Saban, who took over in 2007, have all come in at least 13-game seasons.

“This whole dynamic of how do we keep a healthy bowl system, which I think is great for college football, it’s a lot of positive self-gratification for a lot of players who had a good season”, he said, “and the national interest that we have in a playoff, which sort of overwhelms the importance of all the other bowl games”.

Saban was joined at the news conference by defensive MVP player Eddie Jackson and offensive MVP player O.J. Howard.

In a game that had five lead changes, special teams proved to be the X-factor. With this in mind, the Alabama Crimson Tide showed us how it’s down.

It was a classic, full of big numbers, big plays and special moments that swung momentum in a game that went back and forth. Recognizing that Alabama’s ship was taking on water, he went into scramble mode to save it. He played against type. Alabama beat Clemson 45-40 to win the championship. The Tigers’ offense could not make a play, and their defense was no match against Alabama’s offense in the final minutes. Every one of his recruiting classes at Bama has now won a national title. “You don’t have to think about it too much during the season, you just want to play football”. I really, really appreciate our fans.

The Tide also had a 50-yard touchdown run by Derrick Henry and a 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Kenyan Drake after a Clemson field goal had pulled the Tigers to within 31-27.

But Alabama came up with the big plays when they needed them. Players have until Friday to make their intentions known, making it a major priority for Saban and his staff. Saban uses his contacts and junior committee information to help each player “make the best business decision that they can for their future”. Howard didn’t catch a pass in several games, including the regular-season finale against Auburn and the SEC championship game against Florida. At the end of a surprisingly high-scoring affair, it was Nick Saban’s Tide that rolled away with the 45-40 victory.

“But for us and our team, first time in 34 years to have an opportunity to play for the National Championship, seven years ago when I got this job, from day one I said that we would win a National Championship again”, he said.