BATON ROUGE, La. — Nick Saban lingered at LSU's end of the field, seeking out the players he once recruited to the Tigers. He wanted to give each of them a hug, pass along a few words about how much they still meant to him.

Then it was time to head the other way.

Saban's wearing crimson now.

In a bittersweet return to the school he once coached, Saban kept his current team on course for a shot at the national championship with a thrilling win yesterday. After missing a chip-shot field goal on the final play of regulation, No. 1 Alabama stayed perfect when John Parker Wilson scored on a 1-yard sneak in overtime for a 27-21 victory over the 15th-ranked Tigers.

The Crimson Tide wrapped up a spot in the Southeastern Conference championship game, a stunningly quick accomplishment even for a coach of Saban's renown. He took over a proud program that had been mired in mediocrity, and needed only two years to bring it back to the prominence it held under Bear Bryant.

"We are at about 19,000 feet," Saban said. "The mountain is at 26,000 feet, and the air is changing a little bit. The air is a little rarer."

Alabama (10-0, 6-0 SEC) barely survived its toughest test yet. After Charles Scott tied it for LSU on a 1-yard touchdown run with just over 6 minutes left to play, Alabama drove into position to win it.

But Leigh Tiffin's 29-yard field goal attempt was swiped away by Ricky-Jean Francois.

LSU got the ball first in overtime, only to give it away when Jarrett Lee threw his fourth interception — the third pick of the game by Alabama's Rashad Johnson.

The Tide didn't even bother with another field goal try, having already missed twice. Wilson hit Julio Jones along the sideline, and the freshman dragged his defender to the 1 for a 24-yard gain. Two plays later, Wilson powered into the end zone to win it.