AUBURN, Ala. — Sing, Houston, sing.

That one was worth it.

Make no mistake, either. It was not an upset.

The best team won, and that was the Arkansas Razorbacks.

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At 2: 12 p. m. Central time Saturday, the Arkansas Razorbacks became the Alabama state champions, having bested Alabama and Auburn in back-toback games.

In fact, expect Houston Nutt’s throat to be sore by the time this month ends, when the Razorbacks should be 7-1 and still sitting alone on top of the SEC Western Division as the only undefeated team in league play with a 4-0 record.

Saturday, the Capitol One Bowl came to see Auburn, the No. 2 team in the nation, but what they may have found in their wallet was Razorbacks.

Arkansas didn’t just beat Auburn 27-10, the Razorbacks dominated the Tigers on both sides of the ball, and Tommy Tuberville refused to dodge the bullet.

“The problems we had were those guys on the other side of the field,” he said.

When it was suggested his team might have been looking ahead to Florida, he nixed that notion.

“This was the most important game we were going to play this year because they are undefeated in league play,” Tuberville said. “We just got beat.”

It was, without a doubt, the best team effort the Razorbacks have had this season.

A puff of wind at the end or a missed extra point in overtime was not needed because the Razorbacks executed.

Offensively, it was a great game plan and one that was much more diverse than the statistics show.

Arkansas opened it up even though it passed less.

Gus Malzahn, with Nutt only advising (he did not get in one huddle Saturday ), used a lot more motion in his offense and got Felix Jones more involved, as well as Peyton Hillis.

Six times Malzahn had Darren McFadden, Jones and Hillis on the field at the same time. One was an incomplete pass, and the other five plays went for 58 total yards.

Auburn was not prepared to face the Hogateers because you can’t scout something that isn’t on the films.

McFadden (145 yards ) and Jones (104 ) both went for more than a C-note of ground and, try as they might, the Tigers could not consistently stop the 1-2 punch.

It was smart not to ask too much of freshman quarterback Mitch Mustain on his first trip into a truly hostile environment.

Mustain threw only 10 passes, two in the second half. Of his seven completions, five were to Jones and Hillis out of the backfield, but he had a 50-yard touchdown pass to Marcus Monk, who made a great catch and raced the final 20 yards into the end zone.

The 27 Razorbacks points were a season high.

Yet, the defense — which is thinner at linebacker than Auburn’s hopes of playing for a national championship — was outstanding.

There is no other way to put it.

Arkansas held Auburn to just 213 yards of offense. Only LSU and its decorated defense has done better, and that was 182 yards but Auburn still got the victory.

The Tigers managed only 60 yards on the ground and were stopped in their own backfield 11 times, including five sacks. Jamaal Anderson led the attack with three tackles in enemy territory, but almost as important, he had two quarterback hurries.

This was a road game, rescheduled to 11 a. m. for CBS, and the Tigers have been harder to beat than some NFL teams.

Yet, Arkansas rolled onto the plains quietly, took care of business, and when Jeremy Davis kicked the 22-yard field goal to set the final margin, Jordan-Hare Stadium emptied faster than a match factory with a gas leak.

Most Auburn fans missed seeing Houston Nutt climb into the stands where the Razorbacks band and a few hundred fans sat and lead them and the team in the Arkansas fight song.

Sing, Houston, sing. It had been a quarter of a century since the Razorbacks beat a team ranked that high.