Ole Miss vs. Alabama 2017 live stream: Start time and how to watch online

Vanderbilt wanted Bama. The Commodores got their wish — and a 59-0 beatdown. On Saturday, the Alabama Crimson Tide gets back at it in Bryant-Denny stadium when Alabama hosts SEC West rival Ole Miss. Kickoff is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET and will be broadcast live on ESPN (live stream).

The Ole Miss Rebels are 2-1 to start their season, but those two uninspiring victories came against South Alabama and Tennessee-Martin. On Saturday, the level of difficulty ramps way, way up on the road against the nation’s No. 1 team. Alabama is 4-0 with wins over Vanderbilt and States Florida, Fresno, and Colorado. Dispatching the Rebels would be another step on the team’s fourth-straight trip to the College Football Playoff.

That’s quite the relative statement, obviously. “You only have to be great at everything at once!” Not just anyone can beat this team.

But Saturday was proof that while Alabama remains the safest bet in the country, last season’s offensive limitations haven’t been mitigated by a new play-caller and a few extra months of quarterback maturity.

Alabama’s offense did virtually whatever it wanted against the Vanderbilt defense. After a punt on its opening drive, the Crimson Tide offense scored a touchdown on four straight series. Bama racked up 496 yards on the ground alone (501 when you discount the three kneel downs at the end). The running backs were going off, and Brian Daboll kept giving them da ball (sorry, I had to). They ran the ball 52 times for 422 yards (8.12 yards/carry).

BARF. This whole thing will be bad. Ole Miss will probably die in the second quarter. But the Rebs may also actually stretch Bama out enough to make things interesting for a time. We’re here to proffer up the three main reasons you should look forward to this game.

Shea Patterson has attempted a full 122 passes thus far this season. He’s completed 86 of those passes for a stunning completion rate of 70.5 percent. He’s, in a word, accurate, and he gets good help from those brawny receivers on the outside. Further still, he’s already netted 1,281 yards through the air for 11 touchdowns on the year.

Vanderbilt was a 19.5-point underdog against Bama. The Commodores lost by 59 points in a college football recreation of Hostel. Ole Miss is getting even less respect in Alabama as a four-touchdown dog despite a 2-1 record and solid passing game. The Rebels should be able to at least get on the board Saturday — but do they have the defensive power to keep the Tide from trashing them?

Ole Miss is a shell of its former self, but the Crimson Tide are as strong as they’ve ever been. There’s a reason why the spread is 28 points.