Alabama 52, Arkansas 3

Alabama linebacker Shane Lee (left) and defensive back Josh Jobe corral Arkansas running back Trelon Smith during the fourth quarter of Saturday’s game in Fayetteville.

With his mask on, it was hard to tell whether Nick Saban was happy with the domination Alabama had over the Arkansas Razorbacks.

OK, it would have been hard to tell whether he was happy even without the mask.

Saban doesn’t show happy emotions during a game, and he doesn’t seem to all that often off the field unless he is in a TV commercial. That doesn’t stop him from building a great argument that he’s the G.O.A.T.

What he and the world saw in Reynolds Razorback Stadium on Saturday wasn’t the product of a week of preparation or a season of growth.

Building what Bama has become takes years.

Even with the Razorbacks

refusing to give up — playing hard, physical football from start to finish — Alabama looked like the No. 1 team in the country.

After covering the Razorbacks during a season when they played the toughest schedule in college football history, it’s apparent it might take Florida and Georgia teaming up to beat the Crimson Tide for the SEC championship.

Alabama was so good Saturday, Texas A&M should be put in the College Football Playoff. The Aggies’ only loss was to the Tide.

What Arkansas endured was not just an awesome football team, but one that is masterminded by the greatest coach in football. And Saban has his team peaking at the right time.

After Saturday’s 52-3 win, the Tide have outscored its last five opponents 253-36.

His SEC record the past 10 seasons is 74-8. Only once in that time has Saban lost two league games in a season. That was a year ago, which made him even more dangerous this season.

Now Saban is even more of a historic figure in the greatest football conference in America after becoming the first to win 10 SEC games in one season.

Oh, he didn’t have all the answers Saturday. He can’t say for sure his quarterback Mac Jones will win the Heisman, and he has no idea when the covid-19 vaccinations will be available to the masses.

He seemed to have everything else covered.

Smart money says he’ll be one of the first to get vaccinated in Alabama because he’s considered essential in that state.

Since he became the head coach at Alabama, where he’s won five national championships, student enrollment has grown from 27,000 to 38,000.

That’s money in the bank for the school, city and state.

Midway through the third quarter and sitting on a 45-3 lead, Saban started letting third-teamers get some onthe-road SEC experience.

He could have done so earlier. Alabama led 38-3 at the half, and it wasn’t as close as the score.

Arkansas had 70 first-half yards and finished with 188. The second quarter was a disaster as the Tide scored four touchdowns while Arkansas had minus-2 yards.

It was tied 3-3 early, but whatever hope surged in the hearts of the faithful evaporated as fast as the Razorbacks’ chances.

Alabama took the lead for good when DeVonta Smith fielded a punt at his own 16 and returned it 84 yards up the gut of the field. He never ran outside the hash marks.

Then the Crimson Tide drove 49 yards for a 17-3 lead.

Just 10 seconds later, Feleipe Franks fumbled. Four seconds later, it was 24-3.

The Tide added a couple of more touchdowns in the half while recording 226 yards of offense and converting 8 of 10 third downs.

The only reason it wasn’t an even longer afternoon was because Bama milked the clock from late in the second quarter on.

Arkansas fought hard, but it wasn’t enough against the best team in the country.