Nick Saban really, really doesn’t want his players focusing on outside influences. Alabama football’s head coach knows there’s plenty of them, but continues to hope the group keeps its focus internal.

Saban was asked about Clemson coach Dabo Swinney’s comments, where he told reporters he wasn’t going to allow the pressure of winning to overtake his joy of coaching. Saban said he hadn’t heard what Swinney said, but explained his own process.

“The way I try to manage it is focus on the game that we’re playing,” Saban said. “Trying to get our team prepared to play the best that they can play. Don’t listen to the noise outside, whether it’s good noise, bad noise, rat poison, whatever. And try to keep our team focused on the task at hand.

“As well as, it goes both ways. You known when you have success, sometimes you get complacent. When you get criticized, it’s frustrating but best thing I’ve found to do is not listen to it either way and stay focused on what’s in front of you.”

Saban said it was his staff’s job to offer critiques on Alabama and filter out the outside influences. He said their main objective was to prepare players to play and create value for themselves.

“Outside noise to me, whether it creates expectation or is criticism, is really insignificant,” Saban said. “I don’t know what some guy puts on the the internet that’s sitting in his basement all day with nothing else to do. I don’t know what that means to us.”

Alabama will be back in action Saturday, facing Kentucky on the road. The game is scheduled to kick off at 11 a.m. and will be aired on ESPN.