GAINESVILLE - The Alabama Crimson Tide currently have what everyone else in the country wants: the most recent national championship trophy. 

But Alabama's head coach Nick Saban is quick to point out that he doesn't want to be referred to in the past tense, and that his focus is on winning the next championship. 

Saban has won three national championships as a head coach (at LSU in 2003, at Alabama in '09 and '11) and many of his former assistants (including Florida head coach Will Muschamp) have gone on to win head coaching jobs of their own. 

His process for building teams will once again face the test of endurance, as this year's team loses seven starters from last year's national championship defense. 

Still, the Tide have plenty of talent on defense, and junior quarterback AJ McCarron returns to lead the offense with an offensive line that returns four of five starters who helped Trent Richardson earn a Heisman Trophy finalist distinction.