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This is an opinion column.

For a minute there it seemed like Nick Saban was baking a cupcake at Alabama instead of bread.

Way back at SEC Media Days, Alabama’s coach said the development of his quarterback room was like bread in the oven. He was talking about Jalen Milroe, but really the entire team needed time to develop into something worth the calories. At long last, and without any time to spare, the ingredients coalesced in Alabama’s SEC opener.

Alabama’s game at Mississippi State on Saturday represents the quarter mark of a historic league schedule for the Southeastern Conference. Who will raise the final championship banner for the toughest division in the history of American sports? Contenders in the mighty SEC West need two things above all else, a leader at quarterback and one of the best defenses in the country. Milroe steadied himself and his team in the third and fourth quarters against Ole Miss, and Alabama’s defense did the rest.

There was some beauty to Alabama’s rugged determination.

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I questioned Alabama’s heart in a column last week. It was fair criticism. Statistically, Alabama remains ranked last in the SEC in total offense, but the team we saw against Ole Miss looked like something more than a lump of dough. It played angry in the second half and with an edge.

Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart looked more like a crummy electric car than a high-octane quarterback. Low-talking Lane Kiffin was taught another lesson in humility that he no doubt forgot the moment he walked out of Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Aside from Oregon’s first-half destruction of Team Coach Prime (Colorado), Alabama’s second half against Ole Miss was arguably the best half of football by a defense in the country this season. Alabama outscored Ole Miss 18-3 with the Rebels eking out a measly 148 yards of offense.

We still don’t know if Alabama has what it takes to win a national championship, but at least the performance against Ole Miss proved that Alabama could play an absolutely rotten game against South Florida and still have the ability to bounce back in a week’s time and deliver a signature victory. That’s a dangerous reality for Alabama, but also for the teams on Alabama’s schedule.

Consistency is the defining characteristic of Saban’s greatest teams. This group isn’t there yet, and I’m not sure it will ever arrive, but the journey through Alabama’s final SEC West schedule is going to be a wild ride.

Did you see the video of Saban holding back laughter about the disastrous sequence of his offense after Ja’Corey Brooks blocked the punt against Ole Miss? The momentary glimpse of Saban’s self-effacing levity was endearing. That’s the personality this team needs.

Brooks’ first-half punt block put Alabama’s offense at the Ole Miss 1. It should have been an easy touchdown. After a series of mishaps, Alabama somehow ended up all the way back at the Ole Miss 22. I’ve never seen anything quite like that in football. Alabama had to settle for a field goal and didn’t take the lead against Ole Miss until the third quarter.

Milroe made up for the series of errors in the second half, though. His 33-yard touchdown pass to Jalen Hale was a stunning display of skill and athleticism. Bad to brilliant, that’s the spirit of this team going into the fifth game of the season. No.12 Alabama (3-1, 1-0 in the SEC) could destroy Mississippi State (2-2, 0-2) by 30 points or be locked in a close game until the final quarter. Milroe is a mystery from one quarter to the next.

I want to love this manic team, but keep this in mind before throwing your entire heart behind Alabama. Opening up SEC play with Ole Miss and Mississippi State is like eating dessert before the main course. Be careful. You might ruin your dinner.

The foundation of Alabama’s greatness in football was built by decades and decades of always turning the Mississippi schools into piles of mud and bone. Combined all time, Alabama is 140-28-5 against Ole Miss and Mississippi State. The Crimson Tide’s winning percentage against Mississippi State (81.6) is second-best in the SEC only to Alabama’s winning percentage against Ole Miss (82.4).

Alabama has played Mississippi State more times than any other opponent. Geographically, they’re the two closest schools in the SEC. Separated by 90 miles, Alabama is the historical heavyweight champion of the SEC and Mississippi State is the sparring partner. In the entire history of the series, Alabama has only ridden the bus back from Starkville to Tuscaloosa four times as a loser.

Alabama doesn’t play Ole Miss and Mississippi State next season. It’s a consequence of the SEC’s new scheduling format. Saban’s future is the big story for Alabama this season, but there’s something else to consider this week as Alabama’s series with Mississippi State takes its first break since 1947.

What happens to the king of the SEC when he’s no longer fed cupcakes?

Joseph Goodman is the lead sports columnist for the Alabama Media Group, and author of “We Want Bama”, a book about togetherness, wild times and rum. You can find him on Twitter @JoeGoodmanJr.