It’s the college football matchup we’ve been waiting for ever since hearing that Lane Kiffin would return to the SEC to take over the reins at Ole Miss, as the Rebels host his former boss, Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide this weekend.
Kiffin is coming off his first win with Ole Miss, but now must go up against Saban, who is a perfect 20-0 straight up when going up against former assistants in his Alabama tenure.
So get ready for this week’s matchup with some subtle jabs from Kiffin and our best NCAA football picks and predictions for Alabama vs. Ole Miss, with kickoff scheduled for 6:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, October 10.
Alabama Crimson Tide vs Ole Miss Rebels betting preview
Weather
This SEC showdown could be a wet one. The forecast is calling for rain around kickoff with the humidity making temperatures feeling like the low-80s. There is also expected to be a 12-13 mile per hour cross-field wind. Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions with our NCAA football weather info.
Key Injuries
Alabama: No injuries to report.
Ole Miss: No injuries to report.
Find our latest NCAA football injury reports.
Betting Trend to Know
The Tide and Rebels have played in some shootouts recently, with the Over going 4-1 in their last five meetings. Find more NCAA football betting trends for Alabama vs. Ole Miss.
Against the spread (ATS) pick
A motivated Alabama team can be a scary thing. Particularly one of Saban’s most balanced and talented Tide teams to date. Alabama has cruised to a 2-0 SU record, thumping Missouri 38-19 before handing a 52-24 beatdown to Texas A&M.
Meanwhile, Kiffin is coming off a thrilling 42-41 win over Kentucky last week after falling 51-35 to Florida in their opener, which wasn’t as close as that score indicates. The Rebels have come out firing this season, averaging 536 yards per game with most of the damage coming through the air. Matt Corral has looked good in Kiffin’s offense, but he got some garbage time numbers (after being sacked four times) against a Gators team that already had the game locked up.
Kiffin will likely throw the kitchen sink at Saban in this one, but it’s never a good idea to come at the Tide with a one-dimensional offense. On top of that, it looks like the Rebels have no way to slow down the Alabama offense. As mentioned, Saban is 20-0 against former assistants, but has been a pretty profitable 12-8 ATS in those games as well. We’re betting he goes 21-0 SU and 13-8 ATS after this one. Roll Tide.
PREDICTION: Alabama -24 (-110)
Over/Under Pick
More on that Ole Miss defense. The Rebels are allowing over 600 yards and 46 points per game so far this season, and the Alabama offense is going to be the most talented and balanced they have faced to date.
Quarterback Mac Jones has been efficient and effective in replacing Tua Tagovailoa, completing nearly 75 percent of his passes for 684 yards with six touchdowns and one pick. Jones also has the benefit of arguably the most talented skill position groups in the country.
Devonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle were the wide receivers everyone knew heading into the season, but now they have added John Metchie to the mix, who has stepped into perfectly into the Henry Ruggs role in the offense. Then of course there is RB Najee Harris, who has 141 yards and five scores in the first two games.
It's just hard to imagine a scenario where Ole Miss is able to slow Alabama down, don’t be shocked if the Tide put up a 50-burger in this one. And even though this total is sky high, the Rebels should do enough to send it Over.
PREDICTION: Over 71 (-110)
First half spread pick
Alabama continued its trend of getting off to good starts last week. The Crimson Tide essentially put away Texas A&M by halftime, building up a 35-14 lead heading into the break. That was after a 28-3 halftime edge over Missouri in the opener.
Meanwhile, Ole Miss has allowed seven first-half touchdowns already this season. Until there is evidence that proves otherwise, Alabama on the first half spread is one of the safest bets in college football at the moment.
PREDICTION: First half Alabama -17.5 (+150)
Alabama vs Ole Miss betting card
- Alabama -24 (-110)
- Over 71 (-110)
- First half Alabama -17.5 (+150)
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Use our NCAA parlay calculator to create your own parlays and see their potential payouts.
Where can I bet on college football?
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