INDIANAPOLIS — Nick Saban was all smiles upon arriving in the heart of the Midwest, where he landed his first two head coaching job at Toledo (1990) and Michigan State (1995-1999).

“My question is, how come we’re not doing this outside?” Saban said, poking fun at the bundled-up media crowd that greeted Alabama at the Indianapolis Airport on Friday night.

The Crimson Tide is a 3-point underdog to Georgia in the 8 p.m. matchup on Monday at Lucas Oil Stadium in the College Football Playoff Championship Game.

Still, Saban carries himself with the sort of ease and familiarity one might expect of a seven-time national championship coach who makes it a habit to put his team on the big stage.

Alabama has been ranked No. 1 at least one week every season dating back to 2007, and the Tide enter this game as the defending national champions.

Alabama is coming off a 27-6 win over Cincinnati in the Cotton Bowl CFP Semifinal on Dec. 31in Dallas, now moving its final preparations from Tuscaloosa to Indianapolis.

“It’s not a normal routine for players to be away from home for a week, come home and have a couple of days off, start on a new game and then travel today after practice,” Saban said. “But the focus has been good.”

Saban said the opportunity to play the same team twice in the same season presents a good opportunity for players with aspirations to compete at the next level.

“A lot of players want to play in the NFL someday, (and) this is something that’s a common occurrence,” Saban said. “You play all the teams in your division twice. I don’t think college players are used to that.

“This is something that you have to learn what you can do better from the first time, and have the right mindset to know that you have to play with the same energy and intensity this time around.”

Saban has said a key to the Tide’s success this season has been how the team has continued to grow throughout the season, evolving each week since losing six first-round 2021 NFL Draft picks off last year’s team.

“I think that’s been a really important factor for us, is that some of the leadership emerged during the course of the season as young players had more success and felt the need for them to step out and be the leaders,” Saban said this week, “because we just don’t have a lot of seniors our team.

“And I think that’s been very, very helpful in people setting a good example and people holding each other accountable to be able to prepare the way you need to prepare to go out and play well against good teams.”

Alabama has won the past two meetings with Georgia by scores of 41-24, most recently on Dec. 4 in the SEC Championship Game, and again last season in Tuscaloosa.