No. 12 Mississippi (3-0, 0-0 SEC) at No. 1 Alabama (4-0, 1-0), Saturday at 3:30 p.m. EDT (CBS).
Line: Alabama by 14 ½, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
Series record: Alabama leads 56-10-2 (53-11-2 after NCAA forfeits/vacated games) and has won five in a row.
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
Ole Miss gets a chance to prove the turnaround in coach Lane Kiffin’s second year is for real. The Crimson Tide face a team and quarterback, Matt Corral, that many feel could represent a serious threat. An Alabama win further stamps the Tide as the national title front-runner while the Rebels could emerge as legit SEC West contenders.
KEY MATCHUP
Quarterbacks Corral and Alabama’s Bryce Young are both Southern Californians regarded as the two leading Heisman Trophy candidates by FanDuel Sportsbook. They’re both dangerous passers and elusive in the pocket with good playmakers around them. Corral and Young both have made few big mistakes this season — with only one interception between them.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Ole Miss: Defensive end Sam Williams, who is from Montgomery, Alabama, is off to a hot start after using the extra year of eligibility granted because of the pandemic. Williams has racked up 11 tackles, four sacks and two forced fumbles already.
Alabama: WR Jameson Williams had three scoring plays of 80-plus yards against Southern Miss — two kickoff returns and a catch. Williams brings a deep threat in a passing game that also features playmakers in receiver John Metchie III and tight ends Cameron Latu and Jahleel Billingsley. He’s also the first Tide player to return two kicks for scores in the same game.
FACTS & FIGURES
Ole Miss produced more yards against an Alabama defense than anybody had in last year’s 63-48 Tide win. It was also the most points an unranked team had scored against Alabama and the highest-scoring regulation SEC game. … Corral has thrown at least one touchdown pass in 15 straight games. One more and he’d tie Eli Manning for the second longest streak in program history behind Chad Kelly’s 22. … The Rebels’ 12 fourth-down conversions (in 14 attempts) lead the nation. … Ole Miss wide receiver Dontario Drummon has a touchdown catch in eight straight games, the longest such streak for the program since at least 1965.
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