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The Ole Miss Rebels are hoping that they can sustain the winning edge, momentum, and any thing else that comes their way as they travel to College Station to face the No. 11 ranked Aggies of Texas A&M.

TA&M is coming off a 17-point loss (48-31) to Mississippi State, Ole Miss' in-state archrival while the Rebels bested Alabama 23-17 at Oxford. The win over the No. 3 ranked Crimson Tide--No. 1 in another poll-- is the first time the Rebels have beaten Alabama since 2003. That was when Eli Manning was a senior quarterback.

A&M's loss was a bit deceptive as the Aggies trailed by as much as 31 points (48-17) before staging a comeback to make the score more respectable.

Last week aside, here are five things to look for as Ole Miss and Texas A&M prepare to meet for the seventh time in their history. The game is scheduled for an 8 p.m. central time kickoff, and will be televised by ESPN.

1. WILL THE AGGIES MAKE IT SEVEN?

In the previous six meetings between Ole Miss and A&M, the Aggies lead the overall series 6-0. The last time these two met in College Station, Gerald Ford was president, which was 1974. A&M won 7-0. They met again in 1980, with the maroon and white winning 23-20. Last season at Oxford, the Aggies won on the strength of a 33-yard field goal. The year before--also at Oxford, it took heroics by Manziel and company to come away with a 26-23 win.

As the saying goes, there is a first time for everything.

2. HILL OR WALLACE: WHO WILL FARE BETTER?

Kenny Hill has made a name for himself as the successor to Johnny Manziel as he had a sterling debut in the win over South Carolina, but the Bulldogs' defense put pressure on him last week, forcing him into making some off target throws.

Wallace, a senior, has been called by some media members "Good Bo or Bad Bo." The "bad" one is when he throws interceptions. In last week's win over Alabama, Wallace didn't throw an interception, and could be described as "Effective Bo," what with the poise and determination he showed in the two scoring drives, including the game winning touchdown pass to LaQuon Treadwell.

Perhaps the good outing that Wallace had against the Tide will propel his confidence and hep him maintain the effective, clutch style of play he displayed last week.

3. AN EFFECTIVE RUNNING GAME CAN BE AN ASSET...

Especially for Ole Miss. With Jaylen Walton, I'tavius Mathers, Mark Dodson and Jordan Wilkins getting a fair share of the workload. Although the Aggies beat Arkansas 35-28 in overtime two weeks ago, Arkansas had some soild running plays. Ole Miss's running attack has had some good moments through the first five games. If the running game can click for Ole Miss, they can sustain long drives and keep Hill and company on the sidelines.

4. THE REBEL "D" IS AMONG THE BEST IN THE LAND

When a team has Denzel and Robert Nkemdiche, Cody Prewitt, Tony Conner, Channing Ward, Issac Gross, Serderius Bryant, C.J. Johnson, among others, it is no wonder that the Rebels are allowing only 10.2 points per game, which is second in the country. The Rebels are only one three teams among Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) teams that haven't allowed an opponent to score 20 points in a game to date. The other two are Stanford and Notre Dame.

For Ole Miss, it is going to take a herculean effort--muich like last week against Alabama--to cause havoc on the Aggies offense, especially the passing game.

5. EMOTIONS AND OTHER INTANGIBLES...

The is the first time Ole Miss has played an opponent on their home field. They played Boise State at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta and Vanderbilt at LP Field, the home field of the NFL's Tennessee Titans.

This is the first time since 1962 that Ole Miss has been 5-0. They want to show that they deserve to be among the more respected teams in the country. Since taking over as the Rebels head coach in December, 2011, Hugh Freeze has talked about this time being on a journey.

This game is part of that journey to get Ole Miss football among the elite in the SEC and the nation. Should they be able to come off the win over Alabama, they will take another step on the journey to be among the best among college football teams in 2014.

The Ole Miss Rebels are hoping that they can sustain the winning edge, momentum, and any thing else that comes their way as they travel to College Station to face the No. 11 ranked Aggies of Texas A&M.

TA&M is coming off a 17-point loss (48-31) to Mississippi State, Ole Miss' in-state archrival while the Rebels bested Alabama 23-17 at Oxford. The win over the No. 3 ranked Crimson Tide--No. 1 in another poll-- is the first time the Rebels have beaten Alabama since 2003. That was when Eli Manning was a senior quarterback.

A&M's loss was a bit deceptive as the Aggies trailed by as much as 31 points (48-17) before staging a comeback to make the score more respectable.

Last week aside, here are five things to look for as Ole Miss and Texas A&M prepare to meet for the seventh time in their history. The game is scheduled for an 8 p.m. central time kickoff, and will be televised by ESPN.

1. WILL THE AGGIES MAKE IT SEVEN?

In the previous six meetings between Ole Miss and A&M, the Aggies lead the overall series 6-0. The last time these two met in College Station, Gerald Ford was president, which was 1974. A&M won 7-0. They met again in 1980, with the maroon and white winning 23-20. Last season at Oxford, the Aggies won on the strength of a 33-yard field goal. The year before--also at Oxford, it took heroics by Manziel and company to come away with a 26-23 win.

As the saying goes, there is a first time for everything.

2. HILL OR WALLACE: WHO WILL FARE BETTER?

Kenny Hill has made a name for himself as the successor to Johnny Manziel as he had a sterling debut in the win over South Carolina, but the Bulldogs' defense put pressure on him last week, forcing him into making some off target throws.

Wallace, a senior, has been called by some media members "Good Bo or Bad Bo." The "bad" one is when he throws interceptions. In last week's win over Alabama, Wallace didn't throw an interception, and could be described as "Effective Bo," what with the poise and determination he showed in the two scoring drives, including the game winning touchdown pass to LaQuon Treadwell.

Perhaps the good outing that Wallace had against the Tide will propel his confidence and hep him maintain the effective, clutch style of play he displayed last week.

3. AN EFFECTIVE RUNNING GAME CAN BE AN ASSET...

Especially for Ole Miss. With Jaylen Walton, I'tavius Mathers, Mark Dodson and Jordan Wilkins getting a fair share of the workload. Although the Aggies beat Arkansas 35-28 in overtime two weeks ago, Arkansas had some soild running plays. Ole Miss's running attack has had some good moments through the first five games. If the running game can click for Ole Miss, they can sustain long drives and keep Hill and company on the sidelines.

4. THE REBEL "D" IS AMONG THE BEST IN THE LAND

When a team has Denzel and Robert Nkemdiche, Cody Prewitt, Tony Conner, Channing Ward, Issac Gross, Serderius Bryant, C.J. Johnson, among others, it is no wonder that the Rebels are allowing only 10.2 points per game, which is second in the country. The Rebels are only one three teams among Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) teams that haven't allowed an opponent to score 20 points in a game to date. The other two are Stanford and Notre Dame.

For Ole Miss, it is going to take a herculean effort--muich like last week against Alabama--to cause havoc on the Aggies offense, especially the passing game.

5. EMOTIONS AND OTHER INTANGIBLES...

The is the first time Ole Miss has played an opponent on their home field. They played Boise State at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta and Vanderbilt at LP Field, the home field of the NFL's Tennessee Titans.

This is the first time since 1962 that Ole Miss has been 5-0. They want to show that they deserve to be among the more respected teams in the country. Since taking over as the Rebels head coach in December, 2011, Hugh Freeze has talked about this time being on a journey.

This game is part of that journey to get Ole Miss football among the elite in the SEC and the nation. Should they be able to come off the win over Alabama, they will take another step on the journey to be among the best among college football teams in 2014.

The Red River Rivalry, formally known as the Red River Shootout, has one of the richest histories of any rivalry game in all of college football. It places two of the greatest programs in the sport together every year to earn bragging rights for the next 365 days.

Texas vs. Oklahoma fill the Cotton Bowl every year with half the stadium burnt orange and the other half crimson. It is a sight like none other in college football and one that brings chills to the diehard fan.

This year the Texas vs. Oklahoma game has an odd feeling much like last year’s contest. Last year Texas entered this game with little to no hope at all of winning and pulled off a dominant 36-20 victory.

Oklahoma and Texas both enter this game coming off a loss, which is a very rare occurrence in the history of this rivalry. The Sooners were upset last week by TCU in a game that was full of dramatic plays.

The Longhorns came off a 28-7 loss, but in strange way the loss showed signs of improvement in the long run. The Longhorns’ defense held Baylor to one of their worst offensive performances in the last four seasons. Texas’ problem is their offense is downright offensive due to injuries and suspensions.

This game on Saturday has a feeling similar to last year in terms of Texas having little to no shot of winning according to the national perception. The one thing about rivalry games is that you truly never know how it will turn out. They always say throw out all the records when it’s a rivalry game and that is so true.

Texas holds the all-time advantage in wins in this rivalry, but come Saturday none of that will matter, at least not to Oklahoma fans. This game Saturday will be another historical brick in the rivalry that has some of the most hated moments ever.

As we take a look at the details of this game the one thing that has to stand out is the offense, or lack of offense, Texas has. They have had multiple injuries this season, including the starter to open the season David Ash, and this has hurt the Texas offense.

Texas’ Head Coach Charlie Strong will get his first taste of the Texas State Fair and of this rivalry. His ability to not be overwhelmed by the moment will be key in this game, but his big game experience will be a plus for him and his coaching staff.

On the other side Oklahoma will have to not let the loss to TCU bother them in preparation for this game. They have to realize it was just one loss and their Big 12 title and final four hopes are still very alive. A win against Texas would be great revenge for last year and a stepping block to a great rest of the season.

I feel the difference in this game will be the struggles on offense for Texas. I don’t believe they will have enough firepower to outscore an explosive Oklahoma offense. Despite their loss last weekend to TCU, Oklahoma still scored over 30 points. Their defense will not have to face anything like they saw against TCU in terms of offensive production.

Texas will have to run the ball and play keep away if they hope to win. That’s exactly what they did last year in the upset victory over Oklahoma. The Longhorns have a great running attack with quarterback Tyrone Swoopes and running back Johnathan Gray. These two must make plays to keep the Texas’ defense off the field as much as possible.

So, I see Oklahoma finding a way to pull out this win thanks to a down field passing attack and solid run game. The Texas’ defense will play well, but they won’t have the offensive support to help back them. This was the case last week against Baylor and it will be the same story this weekend.

In the long run this Texas program will be back under Strong as coach, but right now he just doesn’t have the offensive weapons to compete. Oklahoma will wear this Texas defense down in the second half and pull away late.

I have Oklahoma winning 31-20 in a much more competitive game than most expect. Texas will show up and show the nation they are well on their way back to the top of the Big 12. This year, however, the Sooners are just better and will find a way to show it on Saturday.

The Red River that separates Texas and Oklahoma has said to be blood because of the hate between these two teams and Saturday that hate will come to life right before our eyes.

The Red River Rivalry, formally known as the Red River Shootout, has one of the richest histories of any rivalry game in all of college football. It places two of the greatest programs in the sport together every year to earn bragging rights for the next 365 days.

Texas vs. Oklahoma fill the Cotton Bowl every year with half the stadium burnt orange and the other half crimson. It is a sight like none other in college football and one that brings chills to the diehard fan.

This year the Texas vs. Oklahoma game has an odd feeling much like last year’s contest. Last year Texas entered this game with little to no hope at all of winning and pulled off a dominant 36-20 victory.

Oklahoma and Texas both enter this game coming off a loss, which is a very rare occurrence in the history of this rivalry. The Sooners were upset last week by TCU in a game that was full of dramatic plays.

The Longhorns came off a 28-7 loss, but in strange way the loss showed signs of improvement in the long run. The Longhorns’ defense held Baylor to one of their worst offensive performances in the last four seasons. Texas’ problem is their offense is downright offensive due to injuries and suspensions.

This game on Saturday has a feeling similar to last year in terms of Texas having little to no shot of winning according to the national perception. The one thing about rivalry games is that you truly never know how it will turn out. They always say throw out all the records when it’s a rivalry game and that is so true.

Texas holds the all-time advantage in wins in this rivalry, but come Saturday none of that will matter, at least not to Oklahoma fans. This game Saturday will be another historical brick in the rivalry that has some of the most hated moments ever.

As we take a look at the details of this game the one thing that has to stand out is the offense, or lack of offense, Texas has. They have had multiple injuries this season, including the starter to open the season David Ash, and this has hurt the Texas offense.

Texas’ Head Coach Charlie Strong will get his first taste of the Texas State Fair and of this rivalry. His ability to not be overwhelmed by the moment will be key in this game, but his big game experience will be a plus for him and his coaching staff.

On the other side Oklahoma will have to not let the loss to TCU bother them in preparation for this game. They have to realize it was just one loss and their Big 12 title and final four hopes are still very alive. A win against Texas would be great revenge for last year and a stepping block to a great rest of the season.

I feel the difference in this game will be the struggles on offense for Texas. I don’t believe they will have enough firepower to outscore an explosive Oklahoma offense. Despite their loss last weekend to TCU, Oklahoma still scored over 30 points. Their defense will not have to face anything like they saw against TCU in terms of offensive production.

Texas will have to run the ball and play keep away if they hope to win. That’s exactly what they did last year in the upset victory over Oklahoma. The Longhorns have a great running attack with quarterback Tyrone Swoopes and running back Johnathan Gray. These two must make plays to keep the Texas’ defense off the field as much as possible.

So, I see Oklahoma finding a way to pull out this win thanks to a down field passing attack and solid run game. The Texas’ defense will play well, but they won’t have the offensive support to help back them. This was the case last week against Baylor and it will be the same story this weekend.

In the long run this Texas program will be back under Strong as coach, but right now he just doesn’t have the offensive weapons to compete. Oklahoma will wear this Texas defense down in the second half and pull away late.

I have Oklahoma winning 31-20 in a much more competitive game than most expect. Texas will show up and show the nation they are well on their way back to the top of the Big 12. This year, however, the Sooners are just better and will find a way to show it on Saturday.

The Red River that separates Texas and Oklahoma has said to be blood because of the hate between these two teams and Saturday that hate will come to life right before our eyes.

This past Saturday the Ole Miss Rebels handed the Alabama Crimson Tide their first loss of the 2014 season. The Rebels rallied from a 14-3 halftime deficit to beat Alabama 23-17 in an instant classic. The Crimson Tide now set at 4-1 on the season.

The loss sent talk radio into a state of panic on Monday and also began to raise questions about Nick Saban and the Alabama dynasty. The hot topic ever since the Iron Bowl last year, in which Auburn upset Alabama, has been is the Alabama run of dominance over or is it still alive?

This was fueled with the Sugar Bowl loss to Oklahoma 45-31 and now with this loss to Ole Miss the question becomes a relevant one to think about. Let’s face it, at some point and time this dominant run by Alabama has to come to an end.

It happens to every great dynasty and just recently happened to the Florida Gators following their two national titles in 2006 and 2008. We never know exactly when these dynasties are in their last stages because they seem to just magically disappear before we even realize it.

This one with Alabama seems to be a dynasty ending in the making. Saban has still kept his top recruiting classes, but has missed on some big time names such as Jameis Winston. The first sign when a coach begins to fall off is when they begin to miss on big time recruits.

It happened at Texas with Mack Brown when he passed up Johnny Manziel, Robert Griffin 3, and Jameis Winston. All three would go on to win the Heisman Trophy and eventually end Brown’s 16 year run at Texas following the 2013 season.

I bring this Alabama dynasty ending up because of what took place this past offseason. There were multiple rumors that Saban was being eyed by the Texas Longhorns once Brown stepped away as head coach. Sure Saban can say he wasn’t interested, but in reality there was a lot of conversation in terms of Saban going to Texas.

Texas was rumored to offer Saban a ten year contract worth 100 million dollars. Alabama countered with a contract extension which he accepted. Texas would go on to hire Charlie Strong and the rest as they say is history.

I raise the question of whether or not Nick Saban could come to regret not taking the head coaching job at Texas this past offseason. When all the rumors were swirling around this past offseason about Saban to Texas there were also reports that Saban had became tired of the pressure at Alabama. He reportedly felt the expectations were too much and that the stress was getting to him on a daily basis.

I wonder if he now sets back and regrets not taking the Texas job if nothing else just to have a fresh start. He could have went to Texas and tried to win a national title for the Longhorns after a span of four down years for Texas.

If Saban would have went to Texas and won a national title he would have become the first head coach in college football history to win a national title at three different schools.

He may not come out and say this, but I believe deep down he regrets his decision of staying at Alabama. He is in the SEC West division, which I have gone on record as saying is the greatest division in the history of college football.

His program has slipped the past two seasons and the rest of the SEC is catching up with him and the task is becoming much tougher on a week to week basis. He could have gone to Texas where the conference isn’t nearly as strong as the SEC West. He would have had a rejuvenated fan base, a goal of becoming the first coach to win a national title at three different schools and even a richer pool of talent to choose from.

Saban is now stuck in the tough SEC West with a team that isn’t as talented as they have been in the past several seasons. He now has what appears to be a dynasty in the making at Auburn, plus Ole Miss and Mississippi State who are top five teams now. If Saban was in the Big 12 he would just have to navigate through Baylor, TCU and Oklahoma and the rest of the Big 12 would seem like cupcakes compared to the SEC West this season.

It is something I find interesting and wonder if it has crossed his mind this season. I personally believe it has, but he would of course never admit to these allegations or anything related to this topic. He is trying to reestablish order in Alabama after a heartbreaking loss to Ole Miss.

Alabama still has games against Arkansas, Tennessee, LSU, Mississippi State and Auburn. All those teams, except Tennessee, are top 25 caliber teams and could beat Alabama if they bring their top level game. The Tide already have one loss and if they lose another game their SEC title hopes may be dashed, not to mention their national title hopes.

Alabama and Nick Saban have not defeated a ranked team since last November when they beat number ten LSU. It has been almost a full calendar year since Saban has defeated a ranked team, which is not setting well in Alabama.

So maybe, just maybe, he wishes he would have taken the Texas job this past offseason to start fresh and not have these high expectations placed on him every week. He is obviously a victim of his own success and sometimes it’s good just to move on and have a fresh start. He would have got that and much more at Texas, but behind the scene obstacles appeared to prevent that and Saban surely wishes they wouldn’t have transpired.

Saban and Alabama are still contenders this season, but it will be the toughest challenge in his time at Alabama. He is playing against elite competition in the SEC West and his vintage defense doesn’t work as well against spread teams in the past couple years. It is still early, but somewhere in Saban’s mind the sound of Texas sounds pretty good right about now.

This past Saturday the Ole Miss Rebels handed the Alabama Crimson Tide their first loss of the 2014 season. The Rebels rallied from a 14-3 halftime deficit to beat Alabama 23-17 in an instant classic. The Crimson Tide now set at 4-1 on the season.

The loss sent talk radio into a state of panic on Monday and also began to raise questions about Nick Saban and the Alabama dynasty. The hot topic ever since the Iron Bowl last year, in which Auburn upset Alabama, has been is the Alabama run of dominance over or is it still alive?

This was fueled with the Sugar Bowl loss to Oklahoma 45-31 and now with this loss to Ole Miss the question becomes a relevant one to think about. Let’s face it, at some point and time this dominant run by Alabama has to come to an end.

It happens to every great dynasty and just recently happened to the Florida Gators following their two national titles in 2006 and 2008. We never know exactly when these dynasties are in their last stages because they seem to just magically disappear before we even realize it.

This one with Alabama seems to be a dynasty ending in the making. Saban has still kept his top recruiting classes, but has missed on some big time names such as Jameis Winston. The first sign when a coach begins to fall off is when they begin to miss on big time recruits.

It happened at Texas with Mack Brown when he passed up Johnny Manziel, Robert Griffin 3, and Jameis Winston. All three would go on to win the Heisman Trophy and eventually end Brown’s 16 year run at Texas following the 2013 season.

I bring this Alabama dynasty ending up because of what took place this past offseason. There were multiple rumors that Saban was being eyed by the Texas Longhorns once Brown stepped away as head coach. Sure Saban can say he wasn’t interested, but in reality there was a lot of conversation in terms of Saban going to Texas.

Texas was rumored to offer Saban a ten year contract worth 100 million dollars. Alabama countered with a contract extension which he accepted. Texas would go on to hire Charlie Strong and the rest as they say is history.

I raise the question of whether or not Nick Saban could come to regret not taking the head coaching job at Texas this past offseason. When all the rumors were swirling around this past offseason about Saban to Texas there were also reports that Saban had became tired of the pressure at Alabama. He reportedly felt the expectations were too much and that the stress was getting to him on a daily basis.

I wonder if he now sets back and regrets not taking the Texas job if nothing else just to have a fresh start. He could have went to Texas and tried to win a national title for the Longhorns after a span of four down years for Texas.

If Saban would have went to Texas and won a national title he would have become the first head coach in college football history to win a national title at three different schools.

He may not come out and say this, but I believe deep down he regrets his decision of staying at Alabama. He is in the SEC West division, which I have gone on record as saying is the greatest division in the history of college football.

His program has slipped the past two seasons and the rest of the SEC is catching up with him and the task is becoming much tougher on a week to week basis. He could have gone to Texas where the conference isn’t nearly as strong as the SEC West. He would have had a rejuvenated fan base, a goal of becoming the first coach to win a national title at three different schools and even a richer pool of talent to choose from.

Saban is now stuck in the tough SEC West with a team that isn’t as talented as they have been in the past several seasons. He now has what appears to be a dynasty in the making at Auburn, plus Ole Miss and Mississippi State who are top five teams now. If Saban was in the Big 12 he would just have to navigate through Baylor, TCU and Oklahoma and the rest of the Big 12 would seem like cupcakes compared to the SEC West this season.

It is something I find interesting and wonder if it has crossed his mind this season. I personally believe it has, but he would of course never admit to these allegations or anything related to this topic. He is trying to reestablish order in Alabama after a heartbreaking loss to Ole Miss.

Alabama still has games against Arkansas, Tennessee, LSU, Mississippi State and Auburn. All those teams, except Tennessee, are top 25 caliber teams and could beat Alabama if they bring their top level game. The Tide already have one loss and if they lose another game their SEC title hopes may be dashed, not to mention their national title hopes.

Alabama and Nick Saban have not defeated a ranked team since last November when they beat number ten LSU. It has been almost a full calendar year since Saban has defeated a ranked team, which is not setting well in Alabama.

So maybe, just maybe, he wishes he would have taken the Texas job this past offseason to start fresh and not have these high expectations placed on him every week. He is obviously a victim of his own success and sometimes it’s good just to move on and have a fresh start. He would have got that and much more at Texas, but behind the scene obstacles appeared to prevent that and Saban surely wishes they wouldn’t have transpired.

Saban and Alabama are still contenders this season, but it will be the toughest challenge in his time at Alabama. He is playing against elite competition in the SEC West and his vintage defense doesn’t work as well against spread teams in the past couple years. It is still early, but somewhere in Saban’s mind the sound of Texas sounds pretty good right about now.

This past Saturday the Ole Miss Rebels handed the Alabama Crimson Tide their first loss of the 2014 season. The Rebels rallied from a 14-3 halftime deficit to beat Alabama 23-17 in an instant classic. The Crimson Tide now set at 4-1 on the season.

The loss sent talk radio into a state of panic on Monday and also began to raise questions about Nick Saban and the Alabama dynasty. The hot topic ever since the Iron Bowl last year, in which Auburn upset Alabama, has been is the Alabama run of dominance over or is it still alive?

This was fueled with the Sugar Bowl loss to Oklahoma 45-31 and now with this loss to Ole Miss the question becomes a relevant one to think about. Let’s face it, at some point and time this dominant run by Alabama has to come to an end.

It happens to every great dynasty and just recently happened to the Florida Gators following their two national titles in 2006 and 2008. We never know exactly when these dynasties are in their last stages because they seem to just magically disappear before we even realize it.

This one with Alabama seems to be a dynasty ending in the making. Saban has still kept his top recruiting classes, but has missed on some big time names such as Jameis Winston. The first sign when a coach begins to fall off is when they begin to miss on big time recruits.

It happened at Texas with Mack Brown when he passed up Johnny Manziel, Robert Griffin 3, and Jameis Winston. All three would go on to win the Heisman Trophy and eventually end Brown’s 16 year run at Texas following the 2013 season.

I bring this Alabama dynasty ending up because of what took place this past offseason. There were multiple rumors that Saban was being eyed by the Texas Longhorns once Brown stepped away as head coach. Sure Saban can say he wasn’t interested, but in reality there was a lot of conversation in terms of Saban going to Texas.

Texas was rumored to offer Saban a ten year contract worth 100 million dollars. Alabama countered with a contract extension which he accepted. Texas would go on to hire Charlie Strong and the rest as they say is history.

I raise the question of whether or not Nick Saban could come to regret not taking the head coaching job at Texas this past offseason. When all the rumors were swirling around this past offseason about Saban to Texas there were also reports that Saban had became tired of the pressure at Alabama. He reportedly felt the expectations were too much and that the stress was getting to him on a daily basis.

I wonder if he now sets back and regrets not taking the Texas job if nothing else just to have a fresh start. He could have went to Texas and tried to win a national title for the Longhorns after a span of four down years for Texas.

If Saban would have went to Texas and won a national title he would have become the first head coach in college football history to win a national title at three different schools.

He may not come out and say this, but I believe deep down he regrets his decision of staying at Alabama. He is in the SEC West division, which I have gone on record as saying is the greatest division in the history of college football.

His program has slipped the past two seasons and the rest of the SEC is catching up with him and the task is becoming much tougher on a week to week basis. He could have gone to Texas where the conference isn’t nearly as strong as the SEC West. He would have had a rejuvenated fan base, a goal of becoming the first coach to win a national title at three different schools and even a richer pool of talent to choose from.

Saban is now stuck in the tough SEC West with a team that isn’t as talented as they have been in the past several seasons. He now has what appears to be a dynasty in the making at Auburn, plus Ole Miss and Mississippi State who are top five teams now. If Saban was in the Big 12 he would just have to navigate through Baylor, TCU and Oklahoma and the rest of the Big 12 would seem like cupcakes compared to the SEC West this season.

It is something I find interesting and wonder if it has crossed his mind this season. I personally believe it has, but he would of course never admit to these allegations or anything related to this topic. He is trying to reestablish order in Alabama after a heartbreaking loss to Ole Miss.

Alabama still has games against Arkansas, Tennessee, LSU, Mississippi State and Auburn. All those teams, except Tennessee, are top 25 caliber teams and could beat Alabama if they bring their top level game. The Tide already have one loss and if they lose another game their SEC title hopes may be dashed, not to mention their national title hopes.

Alabama and Nick Saban have not defeated a ranked team since last November when they beat number ten LSU. It has been almost a full calendar year since Saban has defeated a ranked team, which is not setting well in Alabama.

So maybe, just maybe, he wishes he would have taken the Texas job this past offseason to start fresh and not have these high expectations placed on him every week. He is obviously a victim of his own success and sometimes it’s good just to move on and have a fresh start. He would have got that and much more at Texas, but behind the scene obstacles appeared to prevent that and Saban surely wishes they wouldn’t have transpired.

Saban and Alabama are still contenders this season, but it will be the toughest challenge in his time at Alabama. He is playing against elite competition in the SEC West and his vintage defense doesn’t work as well against spread teams in the past couple years. It is still early, but somewhere in Saban’s mind the sound of Texas sounds pretty good right about now.

This past Saturday the Ole Miss Rebels handed the Alabama Crimson Tide their first loss of the 2014 season. The Rebels rallied from a 14-3 halftime deficit to beat Alabama 23-17 in an instant classic. The Crimson Tide now set at 4-1 on the season.

The loss sent talk radio into a state of panic on Monday and also began to raise questions about Nick Saban and the Alabama dynasty. The hot topic ever since the Iron Bowl last year, in which Auburn upset Alabama, has been is the Alabama run of dominance over or is it still alive?

This was fueled with the Sugar Bowl loss to Oklahoma 45-31 and now with this loss to Ole Miss the question becomes a relevant one to think about. Let’s face it, at some point and time this dominant run by Alabama has to come to an end.

It happens to every great dynasty and just recently happened to the Florida Gators following their two national titles in 2006 and 2008. We never know exactly when these dynasties are in their last stages because they seem to just magically disappear before we even realize it.

This one with Alabama seems to be a dynasty ending in the making. Saban has still kept his top recruiting classes, but has missed on some big time names such as Jameis Winston. The first sign when a coach begins to fall off is when they begin to miss on big time recruits.

It happened at Texas with Mack Brown when he passed up Johnny Manziel, Robert Griffin 3, and Jameis Winston. All three would go on to win the Heisman Trophy and eventually end Brown’s 16 year run at Texas following the 2013 season.

I bring this Alabama dynasty ending up because of what took place this past offseason. There were multiple rumors that Saban was being eyed by the Texas Longhorns once Brown stepped away as head coach. Sure Saban can say he wasn’t interested, but in reality there was a lot of conversation in terms of Saban going to Texas.

Texas was rumored to offer Saban a ten year contract worth 100 million dollars. Alabama countered with a contract extension which he accepted. Texas would go on to hire Charlie Strong and the rest as they say is history.

I raise the question of whether or not Nick Saban could come to regret not taking the head coaching job at Texas this past offseason. When all the rumors were swirling around this past offseason about Saban to Texas there were also reports that Saban had became tired of the pressure at Alabama. He reportedly felt the expectations were too much and that the stress was getting to him on a daily basis.

I wonder if he now sets back and regrets not taking the Texas job if nothing else just to have a fresh start. He could have went to Texas and tried to win a national title for the Longhorns after a span of four down years for Texas.

If Saban would have went to Texas and won a national title he would have become the first head coach in college football history to win a national title at three different schools.

He may not come out and say this, but I believe deep down he regrets his decision of staying at Alabama. He is in the SEC West division, which I have gone on record as saying is the greatest division in the history of college football.

His program has slipped the past two seasons and the rest of the SEC is catching up with him and the task is becoming much tougher on a week to week basis. He could have gone to Texas where the conference isn’t nearly as strong as the SEC West. He would have had a rejuvenated fan base, a goal of becoming the first coach to win a national title at three different schools and even a richer pool of talent to choose from.

Saban is now stuck in the tough SEC West with a team that isn’t as talented as they have been in the past several seasons. He now has what appears to be a dynasty in the making at Auburn, plus Ole Miss and Mississippi State who are top five teams now. If Saban was in the Big 12 he would just have to navigate through Baylor, TCU and Oklahoma and the rest of the Big 12 would seem like cupcakes compared to the SEC West this season.

It is something I find interesting and wonder if it has crossed his mind this season. I personally believe it has, but he would of course never admit to these allegations or anything related to this topic. He is trying to reestablish order in Alabama after a heartbreaking loss to Ole Miss.

Alabama still has games against Arkansas, Tennessee, LSU, Mississippi State and Auburn. All those teams, except Tennessee, are top 25 caliber teams and could beat Alabama if they bring their top level game. The Tide already have one loss and if they lose another game their SEC title hopes may be dashed, not to mention their national title hopes.

Alabama and Nick Saban have not defeated a ranked team since last November when they beat number ten LSU. It has been almost a full calendar year since Saban has defeated a ranked team, which is not setting well in Alabama.

So maybe, just maybe, he wishes he would have taken the Texas job this past offseason to start fresh and not have these high expectations placed on him every week. He is obviously a victim of his own success and sometimes it’s good just to move on and have a fresh start. He would have got that and much more at Texas, but behind the scene obstacles appeared to prevent that and Saban surely wishes they wouldn’t have transpired.

Saban and Alabama are still contenders this season, but it will be the toughest challenge in his time at Alabama. He is playing against elite competition in the SEC West and his vintage defense doesn’t work as well against spread teams in the past couple years. It is still early, but somewhere in Saban’s mind the sound of Texas sounds pretty good right about now.