Alabama @ Mississippi State preview
Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field
Last Meeting ( Oct 27, 2012 ) Mississippi State 7, Alabama 38
Nick Saban suffered his only loss to Mississippi State in his first season as the coach at Alabama and hasn’t forgotten about it since. Saban, who will take his top-ranked Crimson Tide on the road against the Bulldogs on Saturday, is 10-1 in his career against Mississippi State with five straight blowout victories. During Alabama’s winning streak in this series, the Crimson Tide have not allowed more than 10 points in any of those contests – outscoring the Bulldogs 155-34 in the process.
Alabama has won 13 in a row overall following a 38-17 victory last weekend over LSU – the seventh consecutive opponent the Crimson Tide have defeated by at least 21 points. The Bulldogs appear unlikely to challenge either mark in their third straight game against a Top 25 foe after double-digit setbacks to South Carolina and Texas A&M over the last two weeks. Mississippi State has already faced five ranked opponents this season, losing each time by an average of 16.6 points.
TV: 7:45 p.m. ET, ESPN. LINE: Alabama -25.5
ABOUT ALABAMA (9-0, 6-0 SEC): AJ McCarron has not been intercepted in his last 123 passing attempts; he owns the school record at 291 and is in the midst of his third streak of at least 100 consecutive passes without a turnover. Over the past seven contests, the Crimson Tide offense has outgained the opposition by 1,609 yards -- an average of 229.9 yards per game. Just as impressively, Alabama has allowed 130 first downs for the season, the third-lowest total in the country.
ABOUT MISSISSIPPI STATE (4-5, 1-4): Safety Nickoe Whitley posted his 14th career interception against the Aggies, tying him for the most among active FBS players and leaving him two shy of matching the school record (Walt Harris, Johnthan Banks). Jameon Lewis, who has a team-high 39 catches, is the only player in the country with at least four receiving, three rushing and three passing touchdowns. The Aggies are averaging 459.2 yards of total offense – 37.2 yards ahead of the 31-year-old school-record mark.
EXTRA POINTS
1. Alabama has allowed a total of three points to Mississippi State over the first three quarters in the schools’ last four meetings.
2. The Bulldogs have dropped 14 in a row against Top 25 foes and are 1-5 all-time against the top-ranked team in the country.
3. The Crimson Tide have held 37 opponents to 10 points or fewer in Saban’s seven seasons, including seven times in nine games this season.
PREDICTION: Alabama 45, Mississippi State 10