Cotton Bowl Daily Update: Breaking Down Nick Saban's Final Press Conference

Saban spoke with the media one final time on Thursday as his team continues preparations for its College Football Playoff Semifinal game against the Cincinnati Bearcats.

DALLAS — It's the calm before the storm in Texas, as Thursday presents a relatively light day for the media positioned to cover the Cotton Bowl between No. 1 Alabama football and No. 4 Cincinnati.

That being said, that doesn't mean that there wasn't anything to discuss from the day.

Both Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban and Bearcats coach Luke Fickell spoke with the media one final time on Thursday morning. Both coaches spoke regarding the status of their teams' preparations as well as offered injury updates.

While Cincinnati didn't have anything to report on the injury front, Saban addressed the status of wide receiver JoJo Earle and defensive back Jalyn Armour-Davis.

"I don't think there are any issues among players available," Saban said. "Jalyn Armour-Davis has practiced some. We will make a game-time decision on whether he's able to play. And he'll certainly — he's a mature player, and he knows whether he can go out there and do his job. And JoJo Earle has practiced as well. We will make game-time decisions on how much those guys are able to participate."

For the most part, both Saban and Fickell talked about what it has been like for their teams in preparing for college football's biggest stage. While Saban and a number of his players have seen action in the CFP before, this season marks the first time for the Bearcats.

"It's been a long time coming," Fickell said. "That's the unique thing about having three and a half weeks or so. Not just to prepare but to kind of get everything ready for this incredible opportunity that our guys have given us is finally coming to that point. And I know our guys are excited. I know our guys have been preparing and thinking about this for quite a while and are really, really excited about this challenge.

"So from all of us, I think that it's close to that talk being over and about time for us to go back out there and do what it is that we love to do. And I think everybody in this program is really excited about what's to come tomorrow."

Check out the video at the top of the page, where BamaCentral's own Joey Blackwell and Edwin Stanton break down Saban's final press conference of Cotton Bowl Week.