Two unbeaten Southeastern Conference teams meet this week as the 7th-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide, 4-0 on the season, host the 16th-ranked Mississippi State Bulldogs, also 4-0, in a Week 5 college football matchup.
Alabama has not won a national championship since the 2020 season. Since Nick Saban’s departure, the program is 24-8 overall, including this year’s 4-0 start under head coach Kalen DeBoer. This game is the first of four matchups against ranked opponents over a five-week stretch, and it comes the week before Alabama hosts Georgia, one of the toughest teams on its schedule.
Quarterback Keelon Russell has thrown for seven touchdown passes and 685 yards over Alabama’s past two games.
Mississippi State has not faced a particularly difficult schedule so far, but last week’s win over Missouri, played at home, was considered its toughest test to date.
The Bulldogs are led by Heisman Trophy hopeful Kamario Taylor, who ranks 10th nationally in yards with 1,192, 1st in touchdowns with 14, and 9th in QBR at 87.1. Taylor has thrown an interception in each of the past two games and has been less effective running the ball than he was earlier in the season.
Betting lines have moved in Alabama’s favor ahead of the matchup, with the Crimson Tide favored by as much as 7 points.
