NCAA Football Preview: #1 Alabama Crimson Tide vs. #10 LSU Tigers
Despite winning three BCS national championships with the Alabama Crimson Tide, coach Nick Saban is reportedly on the hot seat.
It's not that he has not delivered. In fact, Saban is one of the most successful head coaches in Crimson Tide history. What have been bugging him, though, are rumours that he might be switching teams -- and conferences.
University of Texas Regent Tom Hicks said in a e-mail that Saban would consider leaving Alabama for the head coaching job at Texas. According to the e-mail, Saban's agent Jimmy Sexton confirmed Saban's interest in the job and that his success at Alabama has created "special pressure" for him.
When asked about the conversation, Saban flat-out denied the reports.
"There's nothing new or different that's ever happened. I'm very committed to the University of Alabama, love being here."
The reports came on the heels of a rumoured meeting between Hicks and current Texas coach Mark Brown. Brown, who is under contract until 2020, has steered the Longhorns to the Big 12 lead, after starting the year at 0-2.
LSU, though, has no such problem. Despite a more modest 7-2 record, they have defeated two Top 25 teams in #20 Texas Christian and #17 Florida, and have recovered nicely from a shock defeat against Ole Miss that dropped them from #6 to #13. Not bad at all for a team that lost 10 underclassmen to the NFL draft. The former Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator has taken over the team's offensive schemes, and the result is one of the most potent offenses in the country, averaging just over 40 points a game, not far off from Alabama's average of 41.25.
Defense, though, is one of Alabama's strongest suits; they have held opponents to just 9.75 points, a number that is inflated by Texas A&M's 42-point explosion in September, compared to LSU's 21.9.