Tide Tidbits - October 29, 2008

Saban: Alter BCS Calls for 'plus-1' four-team playoff
As college football shifts to its last month of the regular season, many undefeated teams still are left vying for one of two spots in the BCS National Championship Game. With Alabama seeming to have the ability to control its own destiny at the No. 2 spot now, head coach Nick Saban still lobbies for a plus-1 BCS system, a preference he has had for more than 10 years. "I've been an advocate of the plus-1 system since 1997 when Michigan and Nebraska had a situation where they couldn't decide the national championship," he said. "I feel that only having two teams sort of takes a lot of teams out of it."

Upchurch happy to contribute
Roy Upchurch, a third-string tailback for second-ranked Alabama, admits that on some Saturdays, he's content watching the one-two punch of Glen Coffee and Mark Ingram propel the Southeastern Conference's top-rated rushing offense to another victory. "Sometimes, I like watching the Glen Coffee and Mark Ingram Show," Upchurch said. "I enjoy watching them. I push them to keep going, even when I'm not in the game. We just feed off each other and motivate each other."

UA's Rolando McClain standing out among the nation's best
Rolando McClain has been warned. When he notices teams singling him out or he starts battling more blockers than he has ever before, coach Nick Saban will pull him aside and set him straight. "The better I get, the harder it's going to be," McCain said Saban tells him.

Roll Tide!