Nick Saban has made a point to get Alabama players locked in to focus on the task at hand in the Cotton Bowl against Cincinnati. During his radio show on Wednesday night, he offered another example of how that message has been received by the players.

Saban reiterated that the players voted to not leave the team hotel.

“You’re not gonna remember what you did on Tuesday night in Dallas 3 months from now, 3 weeks from now or 3 years from now. But you’ll remember for the rest of your life what happens in the game,” Saban said.

Saban added that much is made about what should motivate players, and things like his famous rat poison message.

“Sometimes, it’s what you’re willing to ignore,” Saban said. “… How you played in the last game, how you performed all season long, what the media says, who’s going to win the game, what conference a team plays in. None of those things really matter, those are the things that you should choose to ignore.”

Saban also said that it’s important to clear any mental clutter, like a surgeon going into an operating room with only the tools he needs to perform the procedure.

“That’s exactly what we want our players to be able to do,” Saban said. “You’ve got to focus on the right stuff, and you can’t have a lot of mental clutter thinking about all the wrong things and let that influence and impact how you prepare, how you get ready to play, and how you can sustain your performance in the game once it starts.”

H/T Charlie Potter.