Every team has ups, downs, and several hurdles in between. According to Nick Saban, this year’s squad is no exception.

Coaching college football is tough, that’s obvious. But when you are in charge of a program that has been on top of the country for several years, it brings challenges.

Especially this season, whether it be offensive line issues, fumbled snaps, or penalty troubles, this season has seen multiple obstacles. However, Nick Saban has seen the determination in his team and has had some fun doing it as well

“When everybody has these high expectations, it gets really hard,” Nick Saban said on the “Hey Coach!” show on Thursday night. “Getting this team to climb the mountain has been really challenging and a lot of fun."

Now in his seventeenth season as the head coach for Alabama, Saban has just about seen it all and will likely see a bit more as his career continues.

That wasn't the first time that Saban made comments about the mix of challenges and the fun he’s had coaching this team, however.

“I enjoy coaching this team, that’s not to say that they’re taking years off my life, but I’m okay with that,” Saban said following the victory over Tennessee two weeks ago. “It’s fun. They’ve got a good spirit about them, we have good relationships on our team, I think the players legitimately care about each other, and they respond well to their coaches.”

It’s no surprise that Saban has had a good time coaching the team this year and is up for each and every thing thrown his way.

Later on the “Hey Coach!” show, Saban claimed that this season’s LSU Tigers squad has a “very comparable” offense to the 2019 championship team led by Joe Burrow.

Alabama will run into one of its biggest obstacles yet on Saturday, however, as the Tigers come into town and look to spoil the Crimson Tide’s playoff hopes.

With Saban’s proposed optimism about his team this year, his Alabama team will be prepared for yet another roadblock this season.