"From August until the end of their seasons, college football teams live in controlled, confined worlds.

Almost every day is scheduled to the minute. It's all about focus and reducing distractions, a repetitive daily process involving the same familiar faces.

So when a stranger suddenly invades the team perimeter for a couple of days, even invited into sacred coaching staff meetings, which is what happened the first week of this past season at eventual national champion Alabama, the players get curious."