Saban helped Missouri coach land first head-coach job

COLUMBIA, Mo. - Missouri coach Gary Pinkel has talked in the past about how hard it can be for someone to get an opportunity to move up in the coaching ranks.

He's mentioned how there are numerous high school coaches who could be college coaches, and college coaches who could coach in the NFL. But it often depends on a lucky break, or being in the right place at the right time.

Saturday against top-ranked Alabama (2:30 p.m. CBS-TV), the man who helped Pinkel get one of his first breaks in the business will be coaching on the opposite sideline.

It was Alabama's Nick Saban who secured an interview for Gary Pinkel at Toledo, where Pinkel got his first head-coaching job.