Forget the notion that if you can’t beat them join them. In college football — and sports in general — the real belief is if you can’t beat them, steal from them.

So as Alabama and head coach Nick Saban set their sights on a sixth national championship in 10 years, a number of his former top aides have been entrusted with the responsibility to stop him. Four Southeastern Conference programs are headed by former Saban assistants with Jimbo Fisher at Texas A&M and Jeremy Pruitt at Tennessee joining South Carolina’s Will Muschamp and Georgia’s Kirby Smart.

Can Saban’s famed process pay off elsewhere?

To the mentor, the key to trying to duplicate that success elsewhere starts with not trying to duplicate him.

“I said the most important thing for you, when you go to be your own head coach, is you have to be who you are,” Saban said. “You have to be yourself. You guys have been that way here, and you made a tremendous impact.”

They have made an impact elsewhere too.

Stories and Queries

1. Who starts at Bama?

Jalen Hurts is 26-2 as a starting quarterback. Tua Tagovailoa rallied the Tide in last year’s title game to throw into question who will lead Bama.

2. Mullen is back at UF

Can Dan Mullen succeed where Will Muschamp and Jim McElwain failed in returning the Gators to the top of the East and a national threat once more?

3. A loaded QB class

Jarrett Stidham, Nick Fitzgerald, Jake Fromm, Jake Bentley and the Alabama winner join SEC record holder Drew Lock in a strong-armed SEC.

Fisher led Florida State to a national championship in 2013 — with Pruitt serving as defensive coordinator — before a berth in the College Football Playoffs a year later.

Smart guided the Bulldogs to the brink of a national title last year before the Crimson Tide rallied and won 26-23 in overtime.

Muschamp agreed that the lessons the coaches take from Saban then have to be applied in each person’s own way.

“When you work for Coach Saban, it’s a total education in the game of football, recruiting, all of the things that you got to do to be successful,” he said. “And certainly, each one of those guys will have their own spin on how they want to do things.”

Smart’s way of doing things led the Bulldogs to their first SEC crown since 2005.

But that year also ended with a lesson for the Bulldogs, a painful one.

“I think that’s big for our program and understanding that if you do things a certain way, that you can get to certain places,” Smart said. “We just have to be able to finish it when we get there.”

But it’s a lesson that has been played out many times before.

With the championship game comeback, Saban is now 12-0 against his proteges, and the meetings will start to add up with two teams — Tennessee and Texas A&M — on the schedule annually.

“At the end of the day, I guess if you do have more odds, you got a chance somebody’s going to eventually beat him,” Muschamp said. “Hopefully we’ll continue to get that to happen.”

Those odds will likely continue to grow.

Even with the constant turnover of coaches, the Crimson Tide staff remains strong with a seemingly endless supply of analysts, quality control assistants and player personnel coaches.

“I like to help develop those coaches so when they go someplace else and coach, I can hire them back someday,” Saban said.

The development system has worked.

When Lane Kiffin departed after helping to revamp the Tide’s offense, another former USC head coach Steve Sarkisian was promoted from analyst to replace him. Now Mike Locksley, another former head coach, has risen from the ranks of analyst to offensive coordinator.

The same is true on defense. Pruitt was a former assistant that was lured back to Tuscaloosa to replace Smart two years ago as defensive coordinator. Now that he’s landed his head job, former analyst Tosh Lupoi will serve as coordinator.

“Athletic directors are always looking for the next mold of what that could be,” Muschamp admitted. “And I think that’s what’s provided myself and other guys opportunities.”

And with the opportunity comes the challenge of trying to knock off the best: their former boss.

“Well, I think obviously, you are what your record is,” Muschamp said. “Nick is the best coach in college football because of the accomplishments he’s had. You name it, he does an outstanding job.”