TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- If the timing were right, Mike DuBose and David Cutcliffe could be working together instead of against each other.

When DuBose was filling out his staff at Alabama in 1997, he tried to persuade Cutcliffe to return to his alma mater as offensive coordinator. Cutcliffe was in the same position at Tennessee, and didn't think the timing was right for him to leave.

"We talked at a time when I was really focused on what was going on at Tennessee. At that period of time, I was very involved with the players," Cutcliffe said. "We felt like we were headed in a direction at Tennessee and I wanted to finish the job that I had started."

Three years later, Cutcliffe is now in his first season as head coach at No. 22 Mississippi (5-1, 2-1 Southeastern Conference). He'll go head-to-head with DuBose on Saturday when the Rebels play host to No. 11 Alabama (4-1, 3-0).

"Our friendship goes way back, longer than either of us would like to admit, to our college days at the University of Alabama in the 1970s," DuBose said. "Aside from the friendship, I have a tremendous amount of respect for him."

The two never played football together because an injury prevented Cutcliffe from actually competing at Alabama. But Cutcliffe was still a part of the program and his coaching career followed a path close to DuBose's -- both started as high school coaches in Alabama before moving up the college ranks as assistants.

"We've been competitors since our days as high school coaches," DuBose said. "I've always admired and respected his career, in fact I thought so much of him I tried to hire him here."

He almost got Cutcliffe, too.

Cutcliffe said he was "certainly very serious" about taking the Alabama job, but saw a national championship on Tennessee's horizon.

"I have a great deal of respect for Mike ... and what he was going to do," Cutcliffe said. "But it just wasn't the right time."

Ironically, Cutcliffe never won that championship with Tennessee. The Vols fell short in 1997, and by the time they won it in 1998, Cutcliffe was no longer there. He left a few weeks before the national title game to take over at Ole Miss.

But Cutcliffe doesn't feel like he missed out on anything at Tennessee, partly because of the success he's found at Ole Miss. He took over in time for the Rebels' bowl game last season -- a 35-18 win over Texas Tech -- and has them off to their best start since 1990.

Now, as he prepares to face his friend and alma mater for the first time as a head coach, Cutcliffe said it won't feel any different from his numerous games against the Crimson Tide as a Tennessee assistant.

"It's the same feeling. I know we are playing an awfully good football team," Cutcliffe said. "I guess it's just been so long that it's hard to be any more emotional in one game than any other because they are all so emotionally tough."