This is an opinion column.

What do you want first – the good news or the bad news? It was nice of Nick Saban to ask, especially after a sweaty-palm Saturday afternoon in College Station that was thigh-high in unpleasant developments for the tourists from Tuscaloosa.

The question answered itself, not in detail but in the admission that there were positive and negative headlines to pen. Alabama won the game, which is no longer a given, but did the Crimson Tide get the job done in spite of itself? Alabama looked vulnerable, which has become a feature of the process, not a bug, but Jimbo Fisher lacked the gameday killer instinct to take advantage.

So the most compelling six-game stretch to open a season in the Saban era is now complete. His 17th Alabama team is 5-1 overall even though 3-3 was a distinct possibility. Despite falling hard to Texas, the Tide stands alone as the only SEC West team without a conference loss after taming Texas A&M.

No wonder Saban has been smiling so much the press started counting. This team’s mess-ups have been many, but the boss has enjoyed and emphasized the step-ups, authored most dramatically by Jalen Milroe, Tommy Rees and Kevin Steele.