The TV Show, Musicians That Make Up Ty Simpson's Pregame Rituals

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Finding ways to cope with stress is something that billions do on a daily basis.

Alabama was the most-watched college football program this season, as five of its 12 games before the SEC Championship (Georgia win, Vanderbilt win, South Carolina win, LSU win, Oklahoma loss) had the highest average viewership from the entire weekly slate.

Naturally, the player with the most amount of eyes on him is the quarterback, as Ty Simpson holds perhaps the most prominent and critiqued program of the last decade on his shoulders. He'll probably never admit he's stressed, but it's practically impossible for him not to deal with some.

So, how does Simpson calm himself down before playing games in front of over 100,000 people, plus the millions watching from home?

"In high school, I kind of did my own thing. It's kind of changed now in college," Simpson said on Monday. "I listen to country music every time before a game. So whether it's Morgan Wallen, Riley Green, Luke Combs, gets me in a mode. I feel back at home."

Combs and Wallen have been nominated for a combined 10 Grammy Awards, including eight from Combs. That said, Combs, Wallen and Green have combined for 13 wins at the CMA Awards, including nine from Combs — tied with Alan Jackson and Taylor Swift for the fifth-most this century.

Alabama is set to face Oklahoma on the road on Friday in the first round of the College Football Playoff. The Crimson Tide fell to the Sooners 23-21 at home earlier this season, and UA was also blown out 24-3 in Norman, Okla., last season.

The pregame stress will be at perhaps a new career-high for Simpson, as he'll make just his 14th-ever start. While Simpson will be listening to the aforementioned artists throughout the week, he'll also turn on the TV and relax with one of the most popular shows of all time.

"But in a game like this, whether it's like a pregame meal or in the hotel room, I'll watch Seinfeld," Simpson said. "It just kind of gets me in a little happy mood. It's a sitcom, it's super funny...Kramer is my favorite Seinfeld character. But the little beef of Newman and Jerry, that gets me fired up. So anytime I get an episode like that, I know it's going to be a good day."

Seinfeld aired from 1989-1998, producing 180 episodes in nine seasons. The show, which was created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, won 10 Primetime Emmy Awards (68 nominations) and three Golden Globe Awards (10). It's been featured on numerous all-time lists, but most recently, it was ranked the sixth-greatest TV show by Rolling Stone in 2022 and No. 8 by Variety in 2023.

In addition to listening to country artists and watching Seinfeld, Simpson mentioned earlier this season that he has a couple more hobbies.

"Grilling, first off, you save a bunch of money," Simpson said on Aug. 27. "Go buy meat from Mark's Mart in Northport. Shoutout to those guys, they're awesome. Then, I invite all of the guys over. [Alabama center] Parker Brailsford, the whole O-line, some of the defensive players [too]. I've grilled for them and you kind of feel like a king, almost. I've got a Traeger pellet grill, so I'll fire that thing up and I'll whip it up.

"I really, really enjoy doing LEGOs. One, it keeps me occupied doing something. It's like a big puzzle. I have about 20 sets in my house just from different types of things that I like. "Whether it's one, Star Wars, two, Avengers. I went to New York recently and did a New York sculpture type thing ... I've spent many nights up [playing LEGOs]."

The TV Show, Musicians That Make Up Ty Simpson's Pregame Rituals

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