We got us a good ol down south fist fight taking place in Oxford, Mississippi this weekend when the Crimson Tide of Alabama rolls into town to take on the Rebels of Ole Miss. Both teams come into this game boasting 4-0 records and 1-0 in the SEC and are looking to get a leg up in the conference standings. Only one team can emerge victorious and all eyes when be on Oxford, expect this game to carry pretty big ramifications in regards to the playoff picture.
Lets start with the visiting Crimson Tide of Alabama. They are fresh off a bye week following a convincing victory over Florida in Tuscaloosa in are in a very favorable spot in the playoff picture at this juncture. Blake Sims has taken the starting quarterback job by the horns after a record setting performance against Florida in which he threw for 445 yards and 4 touchdowns. I think any talk of a quarterback controversy has been put to rest and Jacob Coker can grab some pine and get comfortable. On top of dealing with Sims the Tide boast a three headed monster at running back with TJ Yeldon, Derrick Henry and Kenyan Drake and arguably the best wide receiver in the country in Amari Cooper. To say the Rebels defense faces a stiff test in stopping Alabama this week would be understating it greatly. If there is a weakness in Alabama’s offense I will say it’s the offensive line at this point in the season. While they’re talented, they are still gelling as a unit and can be slowed down if they face a talented defensive front. I will be watching closely how they handle Robert Nkemdiche who is a future NFL player. On the defensive side of the ball the Tide are stout as usual led by Trey DePriest and Landon Collins. While the defense does have some great players, I still worry about the lack of a pass rush and the inconsistency and youth in the secondary. I think this defense will struggle again with spread uptempo teams in which they get spread out and can’t play their style of football. We will see on Saturday if Ole Miss’ offense is up to the challenge because they will need all the fire power they can muster.
Now on to the Rebels. They are coming in fresh off a 24-3 win over Memphis and have upset on their mind as they try to give Alabama their first loss of the season. Lets start on the offensive side as the ball which is led by senior quarterback Bo Wallace aka Sunshine (Remember Titans joke). Wallace’s performance Saturday will be the deciding factor for the Rebels in my opinion. Wallace is very hit or miss and depending on which Bo Wallace shows up it could be a very good day for Ole Miss or very band. Wallace has been prone to throwing interceptions since he has got to Oxford (double digit INTs in 2012 and 2013) and he has already thrown six interceptions through four games this year.Ole Miss needs Wallace to be smart with the football and make good decisions or they will find themselves in a hole quickly. Luckily for Wallace he has one of the best wide receivers in the country on his side in Laquon Treadwell. It’s safe bet that Alabama will roll coverage Treadwell’s way all game and try to make his life as difficult as possible. Look for Jaylen Walton to get first touches out of the back field for Ole Miss to keep the defense honest and look for him to be involved in the passing game as a receiver coming out of the back field. I’Tavius Mathers is likely to chip in with some carries as well. Protecting Bo Wallace and staying out of 2nd and 3rd and long situations will be imperative for Ole Miss offensively, if they can do that they will have a shot. I would advise that they take some shots down the field against Alabama’s secondary, but Wallace needs to know where Landon Collins is on every play because he is a ball hawk and will pick you off if you aren’t careful. Defensively the Rebels have been very good so far this year averaging only 8.5 points allowed which is 3rd best in the country. They are led by an absolute terror upfront in Robert Nkemdiche and he along with CJ Johnson will be a handful to handle. If they can get to Blake Sims and make him uncomfortable early they may be able to force him to make a mistake before he gets into a groove. If I’m Ole Miss, I’m bracketing Amari Cooper all night long and I’m making Sims go through his progressions and go elsewhere with the football.
This game can go a couple different ways and I think both scenarios end with a Crimson Tide victory. It will either get ugly early and often and Alabama shows the country why they are one of the best and most consistent programs in all of college football or it ends up being a back alley brawl and Alabama wins by a slim margin. Either way I see Alabama coming out on top on Saturday. I think Bo Wallace turns the ball over at least twice on Saturday and I am going to call Landon Collins forcing one of them.
Prediction: 28- 17 The Tide Rolls