Alabama Crimson Tide at Mississippi State Bulldogs
Fri Oct 2 · 11:00 PM CT
By Pablo SanchezUpdated 6d ago·2 min read
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Alabama has won 15 straight meetings with Mississippi State, and this Friday night trip down Highway 82 looks like another data point unless the Bulldogs' offense shows up different.
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Best BetAlabama
Alabama's talent and program pedigree still dwarf Mississippi State's, even with an unsettled quarterback room. The Tide were a playoff team a year ago and have won 15 straight in this series, while the Bulldogs are still trying to prove last season's 5-8 finish was the floor and not the new normal. Back Alabama here even with the QB question mark attached.
Alabama
+11-4 in 2025, made the College Football Playoff
+Beat Oklahoma twice, won 4 straight vs ranked foes
+15-game winning streak in this series
−No proven starter, QB battle unresolved into fall camp
−Blown out 38-3 by Indiana in playoff loss
Mississippi State
+Kamario Taylor locked in as starter early
+New DC Zach Arnett hired to fix the defense
−Went 5-8 in 2025, lost the bowl game
−Offense needs a major leap by the program's own admission
−Alabama has won 15 straight meetings
Alabama arrives at this one still sorting out who plays quarterback. Ty Simpson is gone, and Kalen DeBoer has a real battle on his hands between senior Austin Mack and sophomore Keelon Russell, with Russell reportedly the slight favorite after closing the gap in spring ball. DeBoer isn't expected to name a starter until late August, so by the time Friday, October 2 rolls around, whoever's under center will have had a handful of games to find a rhythm. Mississippi State, meanwhile, already has its answer: Kamario Taylor was locked in as QB1 before spring practice even began.
The bigger story in Starkville might be on the other side of the ball. Jeff Lebby is in year 3 and brought in Zach Arnett as defensive coordinator to replace the fired Coleman Hutzler, betting that a retooled defense can buy time while the offense figures out how to consistently move the ball. The Bulldogs were 5-8 last year and dropped their bowl game, and the program's own preseason line on itself is blunt: the D has to get better, but the offense has to score a lot more points for any of it to matter.
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ALA Alabama
MSST Mississippi State
Alabama, for its part, isn't walking in off a disaster. The Tide went 11-4 in 2025, ran off an 8-game winning streak that included four straight wins over ranked teams, and made the College Football Playoff before a lopsided quarterfinal exit to Indiana. That kind of season raises the floor of expectations even with a new starter under center, and it's part of why the Tide remain the far more proven program walking into this rivalry date.
Alabama Crimson Tide
Sep 25?vs South Carolina—
Sep 19?vs Florida State—
Sep 12?@ Kentucky—
Sep 5?vs East Carolina—
Mississippi State Bulldogs
Sep 25?vs Missouri—
Sep 19?@ South Carolina—
Sep 12?@ Minnesota—
Sep 5?vs UL Monroe—
Recent form.
History isn't kind to the Bulldogs here. Alabama has owned this rivalry for going on two decades, and the talent gap between a blue-blood reloading at quarterback and a program still trying to climb back to bowl-winning form is real. Mississippi State's best path is generating a spark from Taylor and the skill guys early and hoping Arnett's defense can keep it from getting away from them in the fourth quarter, the way so many of these Highway 82 meetings have.
Alabama Crimson Tide
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Mississippi State Bulldogs
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Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Injury report — info via ESPN.
For Alabama, this is as much about evaluation as it is about the scoreboard — DeBoer needs answers at quarterback before conference play gets heavier, and a road trip against a rebuilding SEC foe is a fair proving ground. For Mississippi State, it's a chance to show the offensive jump the program insists is coming actually shows up against a name-brand opponent, not just on paper in July.
