TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- At his Monday press conference, Alabama head coach Nick Saban had a chance to discuss Alabama's week one opponent, Wisconsin. The Badgers and Crimson Tide will square off in Dallas at the Cowboys Classic, the only top-20 matchup in the opening weekend of college football.

"This is obviously a very, very good team that we're playing," Saban said Monday. "They won 11 games last year. They've got a significant amount of starters (back), they have their quarterback (Joel Stave) back, they have a very good runner (Corey Clement) -- even though he wasn't their star, he gained almost 1,000 yards a year ago, a couple offensive lineman, good tight ends.

"A very good defensive team, one of the top defensive teams in the country. They're very well coached, they execute, and do a very good job of playing together on defense. They play with a tremendous amount of toughness and really play with a lot of energy and effort. We're going to really have to do a good job against them. This is a really good team."

Chryst's debut comes in arguably Wisconsin's most anticipated season-opener ever. According to Saban, he'll be a welcomed addition to an offense that ranked No. 116 in the country last season in passing yards per game, relying heavily on Heisman Trophy runner-up Melvin Gordon.

"Paul Chryst, I have tremendous amount of respect for him as a head coach," Saban stated. "Thought he did a fabulous job at Pitt. He's a very good offensive coach and did a great job at Wisconsin when he was there before.

"This team has always been a very strong running team, but I think Paul is a guy who's been able to create balance with what he does, has a good pro background, and is a very good developer of quarterbacks. I think his touch will be something that we'll definitely see with what he does with Wisconsin's offense."

Kickoff is set for 7:14 p.m. CST on Saturday at Cowboys Stadium.