ATLANTA — Alabama head coach Nick Saban sat down with Lane Kiffin when he was hired to run Alabama's offense in 2014 and gave him one simple, easy-to-follow rule.
"I can take good news, I can take bad news, but don't give me surprises."
If all goes according to plan, Saturday's Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl between No. 1 Alabama and No. 4 Washington won't be full of surprises, and the Tide—two-touchdown favorites over the Huskies, according to OddsShark—will move on to the national title game on Jan. 9 in Tampa, Florida.
Making sure that plan comes to fruition is partially on Kiffin in what will be the biggest game of his coaching career.