No. 1 Alabama’s path to the College Football Playoff is getting closer and closer, and the team is a heavy favorite to easily dispose of Mississippi State in Tuscaloosa on Saturday. The Tide are coming off a 10-0 win over LSU that possibly represented their last, best shot at a loss before the Playoff, and it’s hard to envision a scenario where Mississippi State is the team to give them that loss.
Mississippi State vs. Alabama 2016: Start time, live stream, TV schedule, and 3 things to know
Can the Bulldogs make it two huge upsets in a row? Well, probably not.
John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
Everyone knew it was going to be difficult for Mississippi State to replace Dak Prescott, but they’ve slid further than most people would have expected. They’re under .500 for the season even after pulling the huge upset on Texas A&M last week, and have not won an SEC road game this year. Tuscaloosa is one of the toughest places to play in the conference, and the Bulldogs have won there only twice in the past 20 years.
Alabama, sitting once again at the top of the polls, just needs to take care of business to have a shot at yet another title. The Tide are as dominant as ever, but seem to be doing things with a little more flair than they used to, notwithstanding last week’s scoreline. Don’t worry, though, they should be able to muster more than 10 points this week.
How to watch, stream and listen
TV: 12 p.m. ET, ESPN
Radio: Mississippi State | Alabama
Online streaming: WatchESPN
Spread: Alabama is favored by 29.5 points.
Make friends: Get to SB Nation’s team blog chats for this game at Roll Bama Roll for Alabama fans and For Whom The Cowbell Tolls for Mississippi State fans.
Three big things to know
1. Alabama has won eight straight games over Mississippi State, and it’s difficult to envision the Bulldogs snapping the streak this year. Prior to the upset win over Texas A&M last week, Mississippi State’s best victory this year was over South Carolina, and then probably UMass.
2. Normally, the week after a massive game like Alabama had against LSU, we would be wary of a letdown here. A noon start against a relatively unexciting opponent is generally trouble, but Alabama will be at home, and is still, well, Alabama. Nick Saban isn’t in the business of losing these games, and even if the Tide start slow, I bet they won’t finish that way.
3. If Mississippi State wants to have a chance, it'll have to stop Alabama from running the ball and force Jalen Hurts to throw. Considering the Bulldogs are No. 70 in Defensive S&P+, this is more aspirational than an actual substantive plan.
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