The Alabama Crimson Tide will play its biggest game of the season on New Year’s Day when it takes on the undefeated No. 1 ranked Indiana Hoosiers in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.

A historic showdown which will mark the 100-year anniversary to the day of the first time Alabama played in the Rose Bowl in “The Game That Changed the South”, the context and opportunity is not lost on the Crimson Tide players and coaching staff.

Perhaps no one is more excited than Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer though, who was asked about how excited he is to be able to coach in such a significant game.

DeBoer did not hold back about his thoughts on the Rose Bowl.

“I will say this, having grown up in South Dakota and not having gone outside South Dakota, [the Rose Bowl] seemed so far away, but you knew the game and you knew the pageantry around it,” DeBoer said.

“It seemed like such a distant thing in my mind not growing up around Division 1 football, it didn’t seem like something that was real…As you go through the years coaching you just realize how truly special of a place this is.

“I’ve been in the stadium a number of times coaching there at Fresno State and at Washington, and when you walk in even when it’s not the Rose Bowl game, you can feel how awesome of a place it is. I know our guys are looking forward to this moment, I know a lot of people have this as a bucket list item when it comes to coaching and the opportunity to be here, so it’s pretty special.”

It certainly seems like DeBoer is keeping things in perspective both in his locker room and his own mind as to just how big of an opportunity this for his team and for him personally in his coaching career. Time will tell what he makes of that opportunity.