This is an opinion column.

Let’s be clear, no amount of realignment will elevate Middle Tennessee State to a conference that’ll properly frame what happened Saturday night in Bryant-Denny Stadium.

That said, Alabama looked like Alabama again. A 56-7 whipping of the Blue Raiders had a tinge of the revenge tour mentality that was supposed to come a year ago.

Perhaps more importantly, Jalen Milroe looked like he baked that cake.

The 2022 backup who took a few online beatings took appeared to complete Nick Saban’s preseason illustration of a QB competition.

Carrot cake for everyone.

Again, and no disrespect, the real test comes after Saturday’s Conference USA appetizer.

But a week before taking center stage on the same patch of Tuscaloosa turf, Milroe and his teammates delivered exactly what the home crowd wanted on opening night.

A clean sheet punctuated by a few of the moments that separated him from the pack.

Alabama scored touchdowns on six of the eight possessions Milroe led (excluding the clock killer at the end of the first half).

No fumbles. No interceptions. Not a single offensive penalty — not just for Milroe’s eight possessions but for all 60 minutes of football. That’s a vast improvement for a team that ranked 126th in penalties per game a year ago.

Consider the boxes checked.

More telling was the fact Milroe visited the postgame media room because that’s not where you find many QBs still fighting for their job.

The redshirt sophomore didn’t look like the same No. 4 who covered the full spectrum in his Texas A&M start in place of the injured Bryce Young last October. Saban said the young passer was anxious that night. His three turnovers contributed to the closer-than-expected 24-20 win against a disaster of an Aggie team.

Those nerves will again be tested by the other team from Texas.

And if it seemed like the Jimbo-Saban feud game was hyped, buckle up for the week to come.

Accounting for five touchdowns — each entertaining in their own way, regardless of the competition — is the way to soothe the anxiety of a fanbase that faced more uncertainty than usual this offseason. That nobody had emerged in a race between a third-year player like Milroe, former 5-star Ty Simpson and Notre Dame transfer Tyler Buchner only added to the question marks as August became September.

Behind the scenes, teammates saw it a different way.

“I’ll say this about Milroe,” said starting center Seth McLaughlin. “He’s doing everything he has to do to be the guy. From the day we got back in January, he’s the first guy in the building and that’s not an exaggeration. His car is right next to Saban’s every morning.”

It was McLaughlin who was to blame, then to thank for Milroe’s first moment of the night. The center said his hand slipped on a wet ball to create the rolling shotgun snap that Milroe gathered before weaving through the MTSU defense 21 yards for his first touchdown.

That ability to improvise and make plays with his legs first gained an audience at Arkansas last fall when Young’s first-half injury forced the speedy Milroe into action. If there was a need for a tiebreaker, that moment said it all.

“That guy,” McLaughlin said, “is a freak athlete.”

None of that, however, was ever in question.

What created the most angst was the whole passing aspect of the job.

It’s fair to say the 13-for-18 performance with touchdown passes of 47 yards (to Isaiah Bond), 48 yards (to Jermaine Burton) and 29 yards (to Amari Niblack) took care of that. The first deep ball was textbook, stepping up in the pocket and delivered in the breadbasket just as pressure arrived.

Saban had plenty of positivity for Milroe while acknowledging reality.

“No disrespect to these guys,” Saban said in the ultimate preface. “They have a good team, they do a good job of coaching and they present a lot of problems for you.

“But…

“We’re going to have to separate against a little different caliber of guy in the future.”

Milroe, for his part, said all the right and non-specific things in his time surrounded by the best and brightest of the local media. He’s taking it a play at a time, focusing on getting 1% better every day and next week is just like any other game.

Of course, that’s what he’s supposed to say even if it’s not exactly true. The most genuine moment of his time with reporters came when the Katy, Texas native was asked if he had any Longhorn fans in his family. He laughed, said yes and then acknowledged he had a Vince Young jersey as a child.

That’s some heady stuff for a QB taking the prime-time stage on ESPN later in the evening after ESPN’s College GameDay will broadcast from Tuscaloosa.

Hype mode engaged.

Saban responded by activating his rodent-toxin override. Fielding a question about Milroe using the positives from Saturday moving forward was all Saban needed.

“So you’re asking me to speculate and answer a hypothetical question about how some guy is going to perform in the future?” Saban said with a glare before later using a prop. “This is a Coke bottle, not a crystal ball.”

What’s clear from talking to Milroe is he’s listening to the coaches more than the press. He didn’t take the tone of a conqueror late Saturday night after winning Round 1 of the QB derby.

No, the quarterback from the outskirts of Houston sounded exactly as dissatisfied as Saban would want in spite of the reality. Yes, he missed a key blitz pickup early in the 49-point win but it’s fair to say the collective anxiety in Bryant-Denny Stadium decreased as it emptied.

Nothing on Saturday said this team wasn’t capable of returning to national championship contention but there was a ceiling on what Week 1 could answer.

Check back in a week to see if the opening night optimism was justified.

Michael Casagrande is a reporter for the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @ByCasagrande or on Facebook.