BOL Round Table

This from January 1, 2007.

Tommy Tuberville is not afraid of Nick Saban.

Tuberville didn't fear him when Saban was a division rival as the LSU coach, and Tom Thumb won't start quivering if everything continues according to plan and Saban becomes an in-state rival as the Alabama coach.

Saban may have a BCS national championship on his resume.

Tuberville has an undefeated season on his.

In a nice change, the Iron Bowl will be a rivalry of equals again.

Saban's NFL season ends today, and insiders say they expect a face-to-face meeting between him and Alabama in the next few days.

And, if the two sides meet, it won't be to get acquainted. It'll be to get a deal done. In principle and in practice.

If Alabama does finalize its best hire since Gene Stallings, no one should expect Auburn to give up its upper hand in the rivalry without a fight.

For his part, Tuberville has more immediate concerns than who'll be the fifth Alabama coach during his Auburn tenure. The Cotton Bowl will be his 100th game as the Auburn coach. Beat Nebraska on Monday, and Tuberville will have his 71st victory with the Tigers against 29 defeats.

The last Alabama coach who made at least that many starts and won at least that many games was Paul Bryant Sr.

Tuberville also has a chance Monday to add another impressive page to the Auburn record book.

Only three football coaches in school history have engineered 11-win seasons: Tuberville, Terry Bowden and Pat Dye. Beat Nebraska, and Tuberville will become the first one to do it twice.

Not that anyone back home in the last month has noticed what's at stake on the other side of the state.

There are a number of reasons why Auburn's bowl preparations have been overshadowed by Alabama's coaching search. Here's the biggest one from the Auburn side: People now expect the Tigers to win 10 games a year.

Of course, people also expect Alabama to change coaches at least once every four years, but each Crimson Tide manhunt is a thrill ride all its own.

Meanwhile, on the placid Plain, all the Tigers have done is average 10 wins a season over the last four years. Beat Nebraska, and they'll up that average to 11 wins a season over the last three years.

It's plain and simple. Auburn is not going to give up football if/when Alabama comes to terms with Saban. The Tigers will just have to keep doing what they've been doing.

Saban made LSU a top-10 program, but Tuberville has made a nice living beating top-10 teams. He's 14-5 against them in the last six years. He's won eight of his last nine meetings with them in the last three years.

He's beaten at least two of them every season for the last five years.

That's very good stuff against the very best opponents. Oh, and head-to-head against the great Saban, Tuberville is 3-2.

Tuberville may be otherwise occupied at the moment, but there are few things more important to the Auburn coach in the long run than the identity of the next Alabama coach.

It looks like Saban may be coming.

If he does, this much is certain:

Tuberville won't be worrying. He'll be waiting.

Kevin Scarbinsky's column appears Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Write him at kscarbinsky@bhamnews.com