No. 1 Alabama will enter this Friday’s College Football semifinal as almost two-touchdown favorites over No. 4 Cincinnati. However, one of the Crimson Tide’s best players doesn’t think his team is being treated as such.
Alabama linebacker Will Anderson said in his media session earlier this week that he thought the Crimson Tide were being considered the underdog in the Cotton Bowl. Although the betting line would suggest otherwise, the defensive star said that he thought his team was being disrespected and had been disrespected all year.
“To me, I still feel like we’re the underdog in this game. All year we have been disrespected. Pretty sure we’re still getting disrespected out there,” Anderson said during a press conference.
Anderson’s comments rightfully turned some heads, including that of ESPN College GameDay analyst Desmond Howard. The former Heisman Trophy winner dismissed the linebacker’s remarks as just another way that Nick Saban is looking to motivate his team.
“I think it’s a reach (to say that Alabama is an underdog),” Howard said Wednesday morning on Get Up. “Don’t forget we’re dealing with an Alabama team that’s led by Nick Saban and Nick Saban is always trying to find outside ways to motivate his team. He usually calls is ‘rat poison’ … but there’s no real angle he can go to for the rat poison this season.
“So I guess the new angle is ‘hey, guys, we’ve been disrespected.’ Will Anderson came out there, he verbalized that, but no one believes that. Because no one in college football disrespects Alabama.”
.@DesmondHoward says that Alabama being “underdogs” is a reach.
“No one in college football disrespects Alabama!” pic.twitter.com/HVulnWdtTE
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) December 29, 2021
There’s no one better than Saban when it comes to motivating his team for big games. Based on Anderson’s comments this week, it sounds like Alabama is prepared to take the field on Friday and prove their imaginary doubters wrong.
The Crimson Tide will square off against the Bearcats on New Year’s Eve at 3:30 p.m. ET.
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