College Football Picks – #3 Alabama Crimson Tide at #20 Mississippi Rebels

College Football Betting Line: Alabama -5, O/U: 45.5

Saturday, October 10th –3:30 PM ET

Alabama: The Week that Was

The Alabama Crimson Tide moved to 5-0 last week after handing Kentucky its second straight home loss this season. The 38-20 victory also marked the first time since 1920 that the Crimson Tide have scored 30 points or more in their first five games. Quarterback Greg McElroy played a clean game, completing 15-of-26 passes for 148 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions on the day.

Running back Trent Richardson evaded a safety midway through the second quarter, on a play that would have put the Crimson Tide behind in a game (they led, 7-6, and came within inches of trailing 8-7 with the would-be safety) for the first time since the season opener against Virginia Tech. As good as Richardson was for coach Nick Saban, he was bested by sophomore Mark Ingram, who had a career day, rushing for a total of 140 yards with two touchdowns.

Ole Miss: The Week That Was

Last week Mississippi Rebels bounced back after its wrenching loss to South Carolina. The Rebels dusted themselves off and beat Vanderbilt, 23-7. Following the loss that dropped the Rebels from a No. 4 national ranking, the program’s highest since 1970, quarterback Jevan Snead produced a winning but so-so performance in Nashville, Tenn.

Snead threw for 237 yards and three touchdowns, but he also tossed three interceptions during the Rebels’ 36 minutes of possession time. Mississippi can credit part of its win to the lackluster performance of the Commodores, an offense-poor ballclub that – in keeping with its normal identity – failed to score on two trips to the red zone.

The Ole Miss defense sacked Commodore quarterback Larry Smith four times and held Vanderbilt to just one touchdown, which came when UM had established a 23-0 lead. Reciever Shay Hodge had eight receptions for 122 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Rebels.

The Week That Is:

Defense will be huge this week for both teams. For the Crimson Tide, getting pressure on Jevan Snead will be a big key. Just as Vandy did last week, collapsing the pocket and putting pressure on Snead to release the ball early will most likely force turnovers. Snead is truly the wild card in this game. He owns a rifle arm and the physical tools that can exploit an Alabama defense that will be without Dont’a Hightower, a high-impact linebacker. Yet, Snead’s itchy and interception-prone trigger finger means that the Rebels could court disaster against Saban, a defense-first coach who knows how to disguise his coverage’s.

For Mississippi, defense is just as important as it is to Alabama. For Houston Nutt’s crew, this means finding a way to stop Mark Ingram, who leads a run game for Alabama that’s averaging 228 yards per contest, a tremendous total especially when one realizes that the Crimson Tide have already taken on (and beaten) Virginia Tech and two SEC opponents, Arkansas and Kentucky.

In the end, Snead could make this tussle interesting, but Alabama has the proven experience plus a better track record of ball security. Call this one for Dixie’s football pride, Crimson Tide: 24-16.

Pick: Alabama -5 & Under 45.5