TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- When you're the No. 1-ranked team in the country, you find motivation in small, sometimes unseen places.
A week ago, Alabama felt slighted -- disrespected, in fact -- when an otherwise unknown Vanderbilt offensive lineman said, "Alabama, you're next." Those three fairly benign -- and factually correct -- words were bolded, underlined and fed into the furnace of Nick Saban's locker room. What came next was a 59-0 beatdown and a warning to say nothing of the Crimson Tide.
Ole Miss didn't say a word before its trip to Tuscaloosa, and yet Alabama still took offense.