UAB‘s 26-23 overtime victory Southern Miss last week at Legion Field put a wrap on a spot in the Conference USA championship game and is helping the Blazers write a new chapter in their history.

But how much different would that history have been if Jimbo Fisher had become the head coach a dozen years ago?

UAB coach Bill Clark leads the Blazers into College Station to take on Texas A&M. (Getty Images)

The Blazers are elevated to No. 25 in one poll, and within a few hours will take the field in College Station to take on Fisher as the head coach of the Texas A&M Aggies.

The UAB defense ranks top five in the nation in sacks (38), scoring defense (13.2 points per game), passing yards allowed (153.8 per game) and tackles for loss per game (8.5).

UAB held Southern Miss to 5 rushing yards for the game and 29 total yards of offense in the overtime win.

Now it’s time to take on the SEC and Texas A&M in College Station at 6 p.m. on ESPN2.

The Blazers’ defense will have a challenge trying to stop the Aggies running game, led by Trayveon Williams, a junior, who has rushed for 1,159 yards, 11 touchdowns and is a finalist for the Doak Walker Award.

But UAB could have a response, thanks to its offensive line and sophomore running back Spencer Brown. Brown scored the winning touchdown in overtime, his 14th of the season, against Southern Miss. He has 913 rushing yards and could crack the 1,000-yard mark against the Aggies.

Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher and his Aggie football team will face a stingy UAB defense. (Getty Images)

UAB freshman Tyler Johnson III started the last two games at quarterback. He was 37-0 as a starter in high school at Spanish Fort and is 2-0 at UAB with 456 yards, four touchdowns and four interceptions.

Or the Blazers could go with A.J. Edderly at QB. He is 15-6 as a starter but has been out with a shoulder injury.

UAB will have one more regular season game at Middle Tennessee with a chance to clinch home field advantage for the C-USA championship game on Dec. 1.

UAB has fans wondering what could be, but some this week are wondering what might have been.

Fisher was offensive coordinator for Nick Saban at LSU when UAB was interested in hiring him as head coach.

According to reports, the school on Birmingham’s Southside was willing to pay Fisher up to $600,000 a year to be the Blazers head coach after the 2006 season.

It made sense at the time.

Fisher was a 5-foot-6 quarterback under Terry Bowden at Samford, giving him a connection to Birmingham. Fisher’s wife at the time was also a Birmingham native.

Instead, the University of Alabama Board of Trustees was said to have killed the deal, not wanting UAB to become a football power with a hot young coach.

Instead, the UAB program would end up getting Neil Callaway while Fisher went to work with Bobby Bowden at Florida State to become the head coach in waiting.

But UAB would eventually get a hot young coach in Jacksonville State’s Bill Clark – just before shutting down the football program in 2014.

Fast forward four years and Clark is being talked about as a candidate for “Coach of the Year” at a resurrected UAB while Fisher is in his first year of a 10-year, $75 million contract at Texas A&M.

Oh, and that Saban guy who was at LSU is apparently doing all right, too.