Everything it does is closely scrutinized, picked apart and criticized, oftentimes unfairly.
There's a price to pay, it seems, to be the nation's preeminent program, the crown jewel of a league that considers itself the crown jewel of college football.
ESPN broadcasts live from University of Alabama facilities, everything head coach Nick Saban says makes news, aggregation blogs and headlines. People care about Alabama football, so people pay attention to the happenings in and around the program. It's become trendy for national voices and writers to pick apart every little decision.
That especially applies to the schedule.