TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – It must be December because Alabama is preparing for a national title game and Nick Saban’s future is a popular topic.

The second-ranked Crimson Tide started practicing Tuesday for the BCS championship game Jan. 7 against No. 1 Notre Dame with All-America center Barrett Jones on the mend and Saban laughing off rumors about returning to the NFL.

“We’re really, really pleased and happy to be here,” the former Miami Dolphins coach said Tuesday after the first bowl practice. “We’ve been able to accomplish a lot. But like I’ve talked about before, this is a work in progress all the time. You’ve got to stay focused on the process to try to continue to make the next game the most important game, the next season the most important season, developing the team every year.