At 8-0, Alabama is the No. 1 team in the country and has dominated SEC foes all year long.

However, entering a bye week, the Crimson Tide will be sure to take some time to get some well-deserved rest before focusing in on their next opponent.

Speaking at the Birmingham Monday Morning Quarterback Club on Monday, coach Nick Saban said his team won’t start preparing for LSU until later this week.

He explained that it’s not a sign of disrespect for the Tigers, but simply a way to keep his team in a rhythm moving into the latter part of the schedule (via AL.com):

“I know the LSU game is a big game,” he said. “It always is and we certainly have a lot of respect for how they’re playing now. They’re doing a great job and they’ve played very well the last few games, but we’re not going to start our focus on them today or tomorrow.”

Clearly, the Tide’s preparation schedule has worked so far this year, so it doesn’t make sense to change it, even with a bye this week.

Alabama is going to rest up this week, and even though LSU is also on a bye, facing a rested Crimson Tide squad is no easy task.