Saban says Bama doesn't have a lot of options on scheduling

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- When it comes to scheduling some of Alabama's non-conference games, Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban said, "we don't have a lot of choices."

"It's not like going into a restaurant and getting a menu and saying 'OK, we can play these 24 different teams. Which one do you want to play?' " Saban said. "Most of the time, we're bargaining and begging to get anybody to play us. So we don't always have a lot of choice."

Saban added that the SEC's expansion to 14 teams has also complicated things to a degree.

"It's sort of put the SEC schedule back a little bit in terms of when we got it, so we knew when to fill in," Saban said. "Those things have been challenges for us in scheduling. We're going to continue to do the best we can to try to get the best opponents, but we don't always have a lot of choice."

There's been plenty debate about whether or not teams from power five conferences such as the SEC should ever play an FCS school such as Charleston Southern, Bama's opponent Saturday. With the league schedule starting as early as Week 3 in the SEC and teams only playing eight conference games, programs have a built in date in November to play an extra lesser opponent.

Charleston Southern hails from the Big South Conference. The Tide will pay $500,000 for the matchup, but the Buccaneers aren't the typical late November pushover.

Charleston Southern boasts the top defense (252.9 yards per game) in the FCS and the No. 13 rushing attack (230.2 yards per game).

The Buccaneers employ an option-attack, similar to the one that gave the Tide fits in 2011 versus Georgia Southern.

That year, Georgia Southern racked up 302 rushing yards and 21 points, both season highs in terms of production allowed by the Tide's defense.

"There are some similarities. It's not totally the same, but it's option football," Saban said. "Georgia Southern basically ran more Georgia Tech style offense, which is more three-back. Which they have some of. But they mostly do it with two backs in the backfield and multiple formations, which create adjustment issues to be able to stay sound on the option. But there are some similarities in the plays they run and the way they run the plays."

Alabama has seen some traditional offenses and a few different variations of spread attacks, but not option-based offense. Tide linebacker Dillon Lee said it'll be "truly assignment football."

"Everybody has a job and if you don't do it the option kind of eliminates what our team is: big people, fast people, running around," Lee said. "I think it's a good challenge for our defense. We've been all over the board playing different offenses and people coming at us with different schemes. I think this is just another one we'll do good adjusting and playing."

-- Contact Anniston Star Sports Writer Marq Burnett at mburnett@annistonstar.com. On Twitter:@Marq_Burnett.

This story was originally published November 17, 2015 at 9:44 PM with the headline "Saban says Bama doesn't have a lot of options on scheduling ."