College Football Old School Game of the Week: Saban's Alabama Dynasty Begins With Championship Game Win over Texas

Alabama head coach Nick Saban holds the crystal football following the Tide's win in the 2010 National Championship Game.

When their beloved Crimson Tide traveled to Pasadena for the BCS National Championship Game on January 7,2010, many Alabama fans were just hoping to see the Tide end a drought of 17 years without a national championship.

Little did anyone know at the time it would mark the beginning of perhaps the greatest dynasty in college football history.

 Alabama was led by head coach Nick Saban, who was in his third year as Crimson Tide's head coach following a two-year stint with the NFL's Miami Dolphins, hoping to replicate the success he had at LSU where he coached for five years leading the Tigers to a share of the national championship with USC in 2003.

Following a six-loss season in 2007, the Tide would go 12-0 and win the SEC West division title before falling to eventual national champion Florida 31-20 in the SEC Championship Game, then were shocked by the Utah Utes 31-17 in the Sugar Bowl to finish the season with a 12-2 record.

Led by eventual Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram at running back and a ferocious Alabama defense, the Tide would come back in 2009 with another undefeated regular season and another SEC West division title as the Tide would once again Florida in the SEC Championship Game.

This time, the Tide would knock off the Gators 32-13 to win its first SEC championship in a decade and clinch a spot in the BCS National Championship Game where they would face the Texas Longhorns.

Texas came into the national title game undefeated as well having survived the Big 12 Championship Game, which the Longhorns won 13-12 over the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Hunter Lawrence's 46-yard field goal as time expired.

Texas was led by head coach Mack Brown, who had never had a losing season since he took over as the Longhorns' head coach back in 1998 and two-time Heisman Trophy finalist Colt McCoy at quarterback, who had directed the Longhorns to 48 victories over four seasons.

The Longhorns were looking to win their second national title in four years as Texas had the won national title four years earlier on the same field, the Rose Bowl, where the 2010 National Title Game would take place.

The Tide got the ball to start the game as they begin their initial possession at their 33-yard-line only to go backwards as they lost 13 yards on three plays forcing Bama to send its punting unit when Saban inexplicably decided to call for a fake punt on 4th & 23 as the Alabama punter, P.J. Fitzgerald, threw a pass that was intercepted by Texas defensive back Blake Gideon to give the Longhorns the ball at the Alabama 37-yard-line.

Four plays picked up 26 yards to set up a 1st & 10 when McCoy kept the ball on a quarterback option around the right side where he was hit on the line of scrimmage by Alabama defensive tackle Marcell Dareus, causing McCoy's right shoulder to go numb and knocking him out of the game.

Freshman Garrett Gilbert, who had attempted only 26 passes, was called into to take over for McCoy as the Horns faced a 2nd & 10.

Texas quarterback Garrett Gilbert would have to take over for an injured McCoy in the 2010 National Championship Game.

Gilbert's first play was a handoff to D.J. Monroe, who ran for 10 yards to give Texas a 1st & goal at the Alabama one-yard-line when the Tide defense stiffened and did not allow another yard on the next three plays, forcing the Longhorns to settle for a 18-yard field goal by Hunter Lawrence to give Texas a 3-0 lead with 9:11 left in the first quarter.

The Longhorns would not have to wait long to get the ball back as on the ensuing kickoff, the Tide misjudged Justin Tucker's pooch kick allowing for Texas cornerback Curtis Brown to recover the ball at the Alabama 30-yard-line, giving Gilbert and the offense another chance to put points on the board.

Two runs by Tre Newton for five yards and incomplete pass later, the Longhorns settled for another field goal by Lawrence, this time from 42 yards out to increase Texas' lead to 6-0 midway through the first quarter.

Following an exchange of punts, the Tide got the ball at their 43-yard-line when they put together their best drive of the game thus far as they drove 57 yards in seven plays, primarily on the legs of Ingram who carried the ball five times for 29 yards with the last carry being a two-yard touchdown that with the extra point gave Alabama a 7-6 lead just 42 seconds into the second quarter.

Then after another exchange of punts, it was time for Ingram's backup, Trent Richardson to make his presence felt as he bursted through the middle of the Texas defense to run for a 49-yard touchdown that increased Alabama's lead to 14-6 with just under eight minutes to go before halftime.

The Longhorns would get good field position to start their next drive as it began at the Texas 40-yard-line when Gilbert handed the ball off to Monroe who ran for 28 yards to the Alabama 32-yard-line only to have Texas turn it over three plays later was Gilbert was picked off by Tide cornerback Javier Arenas to give Alabama the ball back at its 25-yard-line.

The Tide would drive to the Texas 39-yard-line before punting the ball back to the Longhorns who took over at their two-yard-line when they went three-and-out to punt the ball back to Alabama who begin its next possession at the Longhorns' 29-yard-line.

From there, the Tide ran the ball five straight times, picking up 20 yards before settling for a 26-yard field goal by Tiffin to increase the Alabama lead to 17-6 with just 29 seconds left in the first half.

Alabama running back Mark Ingram would run for 116 yards on 22 carries and score two TDs.

Many expected Texas just to take a knee and go into the locker room down 17-6 as Gilbert had completed only one of six passes for -4 yards as the Longhorns had 55 yards of total offense since McCoy's injury.

But after Newton ran for nine yards on 1st & 10 from the Longhorns' 28-yard-line, Texas called timeout with 15 seconds left hoping perhaps that they could drive into field goal range.

However, disaster would strike on the very next play as Gilbert threw a shovel pass to Monroe, who bobbled it leading to Dareus catching the ball in mid-air and running it back for a 28-yard touchdown to increase Alabama's lead to 24-6 with three seconds to go before halftime.

The game turned into a stalemate as both teams traded punts for most of the third quarter until the Longhorns had the ball at their 43-yard-line facing a 3rd & 8 when Gilbert completed a 13-yard pass to Marquise Goodwin for a Texas 1st down at the Alabama 44-yard-line.

Two plays later, Gilbert would fire a 44-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Shipley for the Longhorns' first touchdown of the game which cut the Crimson Tide lead to 24-13 with 91 seconds left in the third quarter.

The Longhorns then attempted an onside kick on the ensuing kickoff which was successful as Tucker's kick bounced off a Alabama player and into the hands of Texas' Ryan Roberson to give the Longhorns the ball at their 42-yard-line.

However, the Alabama defense forced a three-and-out to get the ball back at their six-yard-line where the legs of Richardson and a pair of 15-yard penalties committed by the Longhorns help set up a 52-yard field goal attempt by Tiffin which sailed wide left and no good to keep it 24-13 in favor of the Tide with 11:13 left in the fourth quarter.

Texas would take over at its 35-yard-line when Gilbert found his rhythm as he completed seven of eight passes for 62 yards on the nine-play, 65-yard drive that culminated with a 28-yard touchdown pass from Gilbert to Shipley to make it 24-19.

The Longhorns would attempt a two-point conversion following the touchdown which was successful as Gilbert found Dan Buckner in the end zone to bring the Longhorns to within a field goal at 24-21 with 6:15 remaining in regulation.

Hoping to stop the Longhorns' momentum, the Tide got the ball at their 35-yard-line and would drive to the Texas 37-yard-line before punting the ball back to Texas, who would take over at its seven-yard-line with 3:14 to go and a chance to drive for a possible game-tying field goal or go-ahead touchdown which seemed unfathomable at the beginning of the second half.

A holding penalty by Alabama gave Texas a 1st down at its 17-yard-line when Gilbert dropped back to pass only to be blindsided by Crimson Tide linebacker Eryk Anders, causing Gilbert to fumble the football which was recovered by fellow linebacker Courtney Upshaw at the Longhorns' three-yard-line.

Ingram would carry the ball three straight times with the last one being an one-yard touchdown which increased the Crimson Tide's lead to 31-21 with 2:01 left in the game.

Alabama running back Trent Richardson would finish with 19 carries for 109 yards and two TDs.

The Longhorns would get the ball back at its 20-yard-line with one last chance to pull off a miracle only to have Gilbert be intercepted by Arenas again, who gave the ball back to Alabama at the Texas 27-yard-line from where Richardson would carry the ball three straight times with the last carry being a three-yard touchdown that effectively ended the game as the Tide would walk away with the 37-21 win and their first national title in 17 years.

The loss to Alabama would begin a steep decline for the Longhorns as they would go 5-7 the following season, the first losing season for Texas since 1997 as the Longhorns have not contended for a national title since their appearance in the 2010 BCS National Championship Game.

As for the Crimson Tide, the win over Texas was the beginning of a dynasty as the Tide have won at least 10 games every year since the national title, plus had three more Heisman Trophy winners and appeared in the College Football Playoff every year but one while winning five more national championships.