No. 4 Alabama, No. 11 Texas meet in rematch of last year’s down-to-wire game

Texas gained credibility. Alabama showed vulnerability.

But that was last year’s game between the two traditional football powers and soon-to-be Southeastern Conference opponents. The 11th-ranked Longhorns and No. 4 Crimson Tide meet again Saturday night in Tuscaloosa sporting high rankings and even higher ambitions.

“It just presents a new challenge for us to see who we are as a program and test our culture,” Texas center Jake Majors said. “I think it’s going to be a really good game.”

The last one sure was, if not exactly a thing of beauty.

A penalty-plagued Alabama won last year in Austin 20-19 on Will Reichard’s field goal with 10 seconds left, vaulting the Longhorns into the Top 25 even in defeat. The preseason No. 1 Tide, meanwhile, was anything but dominant and would wind up losing two similarly close games.

The rematch could become a Top 10 showdown when the AP poll is released on Tuesday after both teams opened with easy wins. Nothing new for ’Bama under Nick Saban, who has won a record 100 games against ranked teams.

Tide players aren’t exactly contributing to the hype leading up to a game that is bringing ESPN’s GameDay to town, and that’s the way Saban & Co. like it.

“Ultimately, like I would say it’s just another game,” Alabama cornerback Terrion Arnold said. “Obviously we’re keeping our poise. We have a great matchup in Texas. They’re a very great team. It’s going to be a great atmosphere but that’s why you come to Alabama.

“Every game is the same. No one is above anybody so we’re going to treat it just like another game.”

It might be just another SEC game once the Longhorns and Oklahoma start playing in the league next season.

For now, it’s a matchup of two tradition-rich programs that have only met 10 times so far, with…