KENT, Ohio (AP) - Nick Saban has one eye on the national championship and the other on his alma mater.

Alabama's coach is proud of the turnaround at Kent State, where second-year coach Darrell Hazell has led the Golden Flashes (8-1) to their first seven-game winning streak since 1940 and has them headed to a bowl game for the first time since 1972. Hazell spent seven years as an assistant on Jim Tressel's staff at Ohio State before taking over a Kent program that had just six winning seasons since 1974.

The Golden Flashes lead the nation in turnover margin and they forced seven miscues in a recent signature win at then-No. 15 Rutgers. Hazell credits his players for buying into his run-heavy offensive system and he's thrilled to see how his team's success has energized the entire campus.