CHARLIE FISS: Good afternoon, everyone. Welcome to our media teleconference for the College Football Playoffs Semifinal at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic. Those participating on today's teleconference are from Michigan State, Head Coach Mark Dantonio, and from Alabama, Head Coach Nick Saban. Coach Dantonio, I guess we'll come to you first. I'd like to say congratulations on Michigan State's outstanding season and the Spartan's selection to the Playoff Semifinal at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic. We'll call on you for an opening comment. COACH MARK DANTONIO: Thank you. Very, very excited to be a part of this College Football Playoff this year. And we have a great amount of respect for the University of Alabama and in particular for Coach Saban, having worked with him for five years. So looking forward to coming to the Cotton Bowl. We were there last year and had just a tremendous experience with our players and our coaches and our families. And we're going to play on edge and do a great job of representing the Big Ten. CHARLIE FISS: Thank you, Coach. Coach Saban, we also want to say congratulations to you and the Crimson Tide for another tremendous season and ask for your thoughts as you begin preparations for the Playoff Semifinal here at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl. COACH NICK SABAN: Well, it's certainly a privilege for us to be in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl and stay in the College Playoff. I'm really proud of our team. We lost early in the season and responded well and improved throughout the season. I know our players are excited about the opportunity that they have to play a very, very good Michigan State team that has had good wins this year over Michigan, Ohio State, Oregon, Iowa. Really, really -- Mark has done a fabulous job. And I got to see that 22-play drive last night, and it was pretty awesome. I was rooting for the Spartans after being there for 10 years myself and rooting for my former assistant Mark. And glad they came out on top. And certainly going to be a huge challenge for us to play against a great quarterback like Connor Cook, and we're certainly looking forward to coming to Cotton Bowl. Q. This question is for Coach Saban. Was wondering if you ever thought what Mark has done at Michigan State could be done while you were there.
COACH SABAN: Well, when I was there, it was a difficult time for Michigan State. We were -- I took the job and we were on probation and didn't really have the number of scholarships until the last year we were there. And, you know, we certainly had a good team that year. Probably not as good as Mark's teams have been the last couple three years. But I think he's done a phenomenal job there, and I think as well as anybody could be expected to win the Big Ten championships that he's won. And to have the kind of consistency and performance they've had over the last few years is pretty phenomenal, but not surprising to me. So I think, you know, Mark has exceeded expectations of all of us in terms of what he's done at Michigan State and certainly done a better job than I ever did there. I can tell you that. Q. I just wanted to see how much you've been able to keep in contact with Mark during the course of the time since he was an assistant at Michigan State under you and just whether you guys have been able to maintain a relationship over the years or not. COACH SABAN: I think that -- I consider Mark a friend. But I think in this profession, we're all sort of bigamists in some degree in terms of we're married and we have children and we have grandchildren. But we're also married to our job. So I know Mark is, and I think you have to be to really have success because you have a lot of young men that you've got to provide leadership for. And Mark has certainly done a great job of that. And we stay in contact and talk every now and then. But like I am with a lot of the guys, I have a tremendous amount of respect for him and consider them friends. But it's not like we talk on the phone every week because I don't think any of us really have time for that. But there's sort of a respect and admiration that you have for colleagues that have done a great job for you and you recognize by how their team plays what a great job they're doing now. Q. Yes, for Coach Saban, you've got the unique perspective of having been at Michigan State and Alabama. Could you explain some of the differences that puts Alabama in a position to compete for championships year in and year out? Maybe the differences between Michigan State and Alabama. COACH SABAN: Well, I think both are great institutions. And you know, I love Michigan State, the 10 years that I was there, five as a defensive coordinator and five as a head coach. And really appreciate the opportunity that they gave me. And there's some really, really great people at Michigan State.
But I think Alabama is very much the same. There's great tradition here. There's high expectation because of that tradition. But we have some wonderful people, great administration who supports our program and allows us to have the kind of program that helps players be successful personally, academically, and athletically and enables us to create value for people's -- young guys' futures, which I think is one of the reasons that we continue to be able to get pretty good players and have some success here. So I think when you have a successful program, you always have a supportive administration and a lot of people on your team that are committed to a high standard of excellence. And I'd say that's probably true at both of these schools. Q. Mark, I just wanted to see your early thoughts on Derrick, what you've seen of him on tape and how you guys might match up with him. COACH DANTONIO: First, University of Alabama has tremendous football players. I want to echo what Coach Saban said also. I would not be in this position as a head coach had I not been afforded the opportunity to come to Michigan State by Nick. And that relationship between he and I is one to me as a mentor. He's a guy that I've called on occasion when, you know, I could help -- when he could help me in any way. And I have great respect for him and his family and what he's been able to accomplish. As far as the players at Alabama. I just think that they recruit a high-level player, they coach those guys phenomenally because I know what goes into that. And I guess to be honest with you, before I watch a lot of tape and all that type of thing, I'm going have to get to know them a little bit better. But they have an outstanding personnel, running back, et cetera, downhill players. And they're going to give them the ball hundreds of times, so we have to be able to handle that. Q. Mark, we'll start with you and then Coach Saban. Just a challenge of three and a half to four weeks between games after you guys have been in a routine all year. And most of the kids will have tests and they'll be brain (indiscernible.) What's the biggest challenge for preparing teams for this length of time for a game like this? COACH DANTONIO: I think, first of all, we have to recruit for a week and then, as you said, we're in exams and we have to prepare during that exam week. And, obviously, you always have to give people some time off around the holidays, Christmas, and then get back at it with the bowl game.
So I think to me, it's just the ability to stay focused over a course of a month to get ready to play what you hope will be your best game. There's unknowns -- so many unknowns in that because people change over the course of a month because they do critiques of themselves and self-scouting on themselves. So they're always adding some new dimension to who they are. And they study you so well. So there's a lot to plan for. And along the way you've got to keep your own team healthy. So it's -- I think it's a challenge. And then to be in a game like this where there's much on the line for you, for our football team. Extremely proud of what our guys have been able to accomplish and we look forward to trying to move to the next step. But there's built-in challenges with the time restrictions, as you said, and then also the people that we're playing against. There's just a lot of challenges. But with that, there's also opportunity. COACH SABAN: Well, I think the biggest challenge is twofold. Physically, you sort of disrupt the routine of what your players do on a week-to-week basis. And sort of emotionally, you develop a little bit of a rhythm and a momentum if you're playing well that you really -- it's difficult to sustain for a month or four weeks or however long it is. And so when you don't play for a long time, you get a little rusty. So you've got to practice at a level that allows your players to stay sharp physically and stay in good condition as well as not get them beat up. There's a lot of challenges to this, but I think psychologically it is the most important thing to be able to get your guys to be ready to play when the time comes. And that's the biggest challenge. Q. Coach Dantonio, I wanted to ask about, it's been tough for teams to run on Alabama but you guys are obviously a physical team and you pride yourselves on running the ball. But in a game like this, how much of it is, Okay. We respect what you do, but at the same time, we want to be who we are and play your style of ball? COACH DANTONIO: I think everybody wants to bring who they are to the table. It's why we got to where we're at. There's a combination of things, offensively, defensively, special teams that is the foundation for you. And you got to let your players play. And you got to let your players -- allow your players to do what they do best and in our -- from our perspective. So a big part of that -- and I would echo what Nick said. It's about timing. We don't play a game this weekend. And there's a rhythm to that. And so when the time comes, we need to be ready. And I promise you we will need to be at our best, our very, very best
Q. You watched a 22-play drive for Michigan State. I wanted to get your thoughts on what you learned about Michigan State on that final drive. And just also, things are kind of rolling well for Michigan State, just how physically imposing you think they can be? COACH DANTONIO: They certainly were on that drive because Iowa, I know, has a got a really good defensive team, and they're very well-coached. And Coach Ferentz does an outstanding job as does Phil Parker, one of our former players, as defensive coordinator. I think it showed a lot about the grit that Michigan State's team has and the resiliency that they played with on that drive to convert third downs, make plays when they needed to make them. And that's -- that really is more what I saw. They had a big physical back, and they got a physical offensive line. And that's the way we try to play, and that's the way they try to play. So -- and that's the kind of football that a lot of people enjoy watching. So it's going to be a -- it will be a great matchup from that standpoint. Q. What is it like going through this stretch of every time you turn around, it seems like you're facing someone you worked with in the past: Mark after Jim McElwain, after Will Muschamp's defense? I also wanted to ask you kind of the game plan with Kirby Smart and how he plans to handle these next few weeks juggling Georgia and his duties at Alabama. COACH SABAN: Well, you know, it always makes me proud and happy for the guys that did a great job for us when they were part of our staff. And they go on and move on and have success other places. It kind of makes me happy and proud. And I'm not the kind of guy that has to dislike my opponent to play well against him. Sometimes "respect" is a better word. And when you know somebody is a really good coach and has done a great job for you, it's really easy to respect them. And that's certainly the case in this game. And it was certainly the case last week against Jim McElwain at Florida and Will at Auburn and will be when we play Kirby someday. But Kirby is going to do what he does over there for the next week or ten days. And when we come back and start practice, he's going to come back and do what he does here. And I know the professional integrity that Kirby has and the commitment that he has to our players as well as his new job. And I feel very comfortable that he'll be able to manage that. And I think University of Georgia has been first class in how they've sort of handled this transition and helping us both be able to do this the way we're going to do it.
Q. Coach Saban, with -- not just with Alabama, I guess with all four of the teams in the Playoff, with the conference championship game and the potential for two more games after that with the Playoff games, how much does depth factor into success once you get to this biggest point in the season? COACH SABAN: Well, I think it factors in to getting to this point in the season. I think if you don't have quality depth on your team, maybe you can't make it to this point in the season. Because a lot of players have to step up and a lot of players have to fill in when you lose guys for a week or two. And you have to be fortunate to keep some of the bell cow guys on your team healthy so that they can sort of sustain their role. And we've been fortunate that way and hopefully, you know, Michigan State will be healthy in the game. And we'll play the game with our best players. So I do think it's a factor because I do think when you lose quality players, it does affect your team, especially when they're in leadership roles or guys that have huge roles in the success of the team. CHARLIE FISS: We wish both of you the best of luck when you get down here in a few weeks. We appreciate you being with us today and look forward to welcome your teams to north Texas. So thanks again to both coaches. COACH SABAN: Thank you. COACH DANTONIO: All right, Mark. CHARLIE FISS: Before we go, we have a reminder to the media, if I could mention this. Today's teleconference will be replayed for the next 24 hours beginning at 5:20 Central time. However, there's going to be a different phone number to call, and it's listed on your media advisory. And this new number is (719) 457-0820. Again, that number is on your advisory. And it's the same conference ID, which is 4922233. The transcript will be distributed as we said earlier by the two sports information offices from Alabama and Michigan State, posted on our Web site, cottonbowl.com, as well as Cotton Bowl press box -- collegepressbox.com/cottonbowl. And the log-in information is "cottonbowl," case sensitive, that's the user name. Password is arlington, all lower case and case sensitive. We thank everyone for participating in this afternoon's teleconference. We look forward to seeing you in North Texas for the Playoff Semifinal in just a few short weeks. Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you. Quotes by Caption Northwest, Inc. -- 425-343-4946