Will Anderson Jr. delivered the message last week ahead of No. 1 Alabama’s trip to Dallas for Friday’s Cotton Bowl semifinal against No. 4 Cincinnati.

“It’s a business trip and not a vacation,” Anderson said at the time. “Everybody is locked in and ready to go.”

Alabama’s hyper-focused mindset is to be expected for a game with national-title implications. However, in recent years, bowl games such as this one would have given the Crimson Tide a bit of time to let off some steam after they finished their football responsibilities for the day.

Two years ago, Alabama players made a team trip to Fun Spot America amusement park near Orlando, Fla., prior to their Citrus Bowl matchup against Michigan. Due to COVID-19, those attractions have become off-limits to bowl participants the past two seasons.

This is the second straight year Anderson has spent a week in Dallas in preparation for a major bowl game. The sophomore outside linebacker probably still couldn’t give you a proper barbecue restaurant recommendation.

Similar to last year’s Rose Bowl preparation, Alabama players have been holed up in their hotels this week following their time on the practice. The spread of the Omicron variant has wiped out any sight-seeing possibilities as the team looks to remain healthy for its playoff run.

Although, the lockdown conditions haven’t seemed to bother Tide players too much.

“As a leadership group, we came together, and we just have to tell the team we know what's at stake,” Anderson said Monday. “It's either win or go home. We don't want to go home; we want to win.

"And I think the biggest thing was it was like a medical call. I think everybody just needed to be locked in on what's going on right now. And the main focus is winning this game and being all in. Nobody needs to be distracted, going out, running the streets, or anything like that.”

Heisman-winning quarterback Bryce Young admits that missing out on extracurricular activities was a bit of a sacrifice, stating that it takes a collective effort from the whole team in order to remain healthy. Still, he said the decision was an easy one to make.

“When you think of a bowl game, you think of a bowl experience,” Young said Monday. “You get to go places and do fun events. And that's great. But for us, we understand what the ultimate goal is. … So we understand this really isn't the week for going out and having a great time.

“Coach [Nick] Saban in one of our meetings actually said it perfectly, ‘You only remember what you did during the week if you're successful on the weekends.’”

Last week, Alabama saw offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien and offensive line coach Doug Marrone test positive for COVID-19. While both coaches are now back with the team after going into isolation, their positive tests serve as a reminder of the complications the virus can cause.

Earlier this week, Nick Saban said Alabama’s roster is completely vaccinated and that 92% of the players had received their booster shot. Still, the team isn’t taking any unnecessary risks heading into its most crucial stretch of the season. According to Young, Alabama’s leadership group had a meeting where it decided that players would not leave their hotel rooms following football activities.

“We're going to practice, and we're staying in there,” he explained. “We understand the realities of COVID and the modern world we live [in]. That was the decision we all made. And it's a sacrifice but at the end of the day, that's what we have to do to put ourselves in the best position.”

So what are Alabama players doing in their downtime?

“Recovery, watching film and just bonding as a team, that’s all we’re doing,” tight end Cameron Latu responded when asked Wednesday.

But what about anything fun?

“Getting ready to win,” Latu deadpanned. “That’s fun.”

Linebacker Christian Harris reiterated that there isn’t too many exciting events happening around the team hotel, noting that the time away from the field has been pretty low-key.

“It’s a lot of time for us to really bond as a team,” he said. “Just being here a lot we can spend time with each other some more. Yeah, I’d that’s really all I’d say we do.”

Alabama will look to have a bit more fun Friday when it takes on Cincinnati at 2:30 p.m. CT inside AT&T Stadium in Arlington Texas. The winner of the game will earn a trip to Indianapolis to play in the national championship on Jan. 10.

Alabama players certainly wouldn’t mind checking out the hotels in The Hoosier State next week if given the chance.