No college football program faces greater pressure in the Power Five right now than Nick Saban's Alabama Crimson Tide.
The dynasty is dead, or at least dying. Alabama has already lost to one Saban protege-led team this season in Steve Sarkisian's Texas Longhorns. Not until two years ago had a Saban protege bested his mentor. Jimbo Fisher got it done first during the 2021 college football season at Texas A&M, while Kirby Smart helped Georgia win the College Football Playoff several weeks later in early January.
With Lane Kiffin's Ole Miss Rebels next up, has Team Lane Train ever run through a Saban-led squad like ish through a tinhorn? Has Kiffin ever beaten Saban head-to-head as a college head coach?
Alabama vs. Ole Miss: Has Lane Kiffin ever beaten Nick Saban before?
Entering Saturday's Week 4 contest in Tuscaloosa, no, Kiffin has never beaten Saban head-to-head. While Ole Miss did beat Alabama twice during the Hugh Freeze era in Knoxville, the Rebels' last victory over the Tide came nearly a decade ago. That win came in 2015. Kiffin was in the midst of his run as Saban's offensive coordinator at Alabama. He left for the Florida Atlantic gig two years later.
Since returning to the SEC in 2020, Kiffin is 0-3 vs. Alabama. While his Rebels have played the Crimson Tide close, close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. However, one would think that Kiffin has got next when it comes to a Saban protege beating his mentor. The Rebels play Alabama annually in the SEC West. Kiffin has transformed Ole Miss into a 10-win program overnight.
Ultimately, this game carries so much gravitas in the SEC landscape. A win keeps Alabama's slim playoff dreams alive, whereas a win for Ole Miss gives the Rebels a fairly decent shot of getting to Atlanta for the first time ever. If Ole Miss holds the head-to-head tiebreaker over rival teams like Alabama and LSU, that would shape up perfectly for them to meet presumably Georgia in Atlanta.
Although it has not happened yet, one would think Kiffin should eventually get the best of Saban.
