Kirk Herbstreit joins Scott Van Pelt to explain how Alabama was able to dominate USC in the season opener, how the quarterback situation shakes out for the Crimson Tide and where the Trojans go from here. (3:02)

ARLINGTON, Texas -- This had to be Nick Saban’s dream scenario.

Which might explain why he was in such a good mood inside the cramped press room late Saturday night, joking with reporters about how he handled the quarterback situation leading into Alabama's season-opening game. Sure, he named Cooper Bateman and Blake Barnett the candidates to start, but Saban said he never actually excluded the possibility of Jalen Hurts playing.

“Y’all never asked,” Saban pointed out, grinning.

Hurts, of course, went on to play the majority of the opener, throwing for two touchdowns and rushing for two more as No. 1 Alabama rolled No. 20 USC 52-6 Saturday night at AT&T Stadium.

It was all so neatly packaged for Saban. His inner competitor was satisfied by the wide margin of victory. But at the same time, his desire to be critical and seek areas for improvement was met as well. Somehow his team was both dominant and imperfect all at once.

Don’t be blinded by the scoreboard. It’s true: This Alabama squad, the one that on Saturday looked every bit the No. 1 team in the land to start the season, has room to get even better.

Alabama receiver Gehrig Dieter is right: The Tide looked like the No. 1 team in the country on Saturday. But the frightening part is they can get much better. Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports

Consider this: Everyone’s All-America receiver, Calvin Ridley, had only two receptions for 9 yards; running back Bo Scarbrough, a trendy pick as a dark-horse Heisman Trophy contender, rushed for a measly 36 yards on 11 carries; and Barnett, the highest-rated quarterback recruit Saban has ever signed and the team’s starter, completed 2 of 3 passes for 3 yards and a sack before he was pulled in favor of Hurts.

In addition, the interior of the offensive line didn’t generate much push and the defense struggled to get off the field on third down in the first quarter.

“If you want to know the truth about it,” Saban said, “I wasn’t pleased about the way we played.”

He wasn’t alone in thinking that, either.

Alabama offensive lineman Bradley Bozeman, being the good Saban clone that he is, said, “We don’t like to have a mediocre game and win and be happy about it.”

Yes, you read that right. Mediocre. Seriously, he said that.

“Yes,” Bozeman explained. “You have to start fast, finish fast.”

Looking at the season as a whole, however, Alabama started off faster than just about everyone else in college football. Popular playoff picks LSU and Oklahoma lost, while Clemson narrowly escaped Auburn with a win.

Alabama not only won convincingly, it has the chance to look even better in the coming weeks.

Ridley won’t stay quiet long. Neither will Scarbrough. And the offensive line could get some help now that senior lineman Alphonse Taylor has served a previously unannounced one-game suspension.

But no player better represents the Tide's room for potential growth than Hurts. A true freshman, his development is barely getting started. As he gets more comfortable in the offense and coordinator Lane Kiffin works his magic in the film room and on the practice field, Hurts will get the polish he needs. The read-option will become more second nature, and maybe we won’t see interceptions like the one he threw on Saturday in the third quarter, when he stared down a receiver.

Saban said the pick was something “he’ll learn from.”

“But,” Saban added, “I thought when Blake [Barnett] came back in the game, he settled down and played pretty well, too.”

Barnett did, in fact, throw a nice 45-yard touchdown to Gehrig Dieter. So maybe Alabama has not one but two quarterbacks to develop.

There’s at least one other SEC West school that would love to be in that position.

Taking it a step further, who in the entire country wouldn’t like to be in Alabama’s place right now? It’s the perfect Week 1 feeling: You look like the best team in the country, but you also look like you can get even better.