Alabama Crimson Tide at Ole Miss Rebels Betting Preview
Top-25 teams will square off Saturday afternoon as the No. 10 Alabama Crimson Tide (7-2) take on the No. 11 Ole Miss Rebels (8-1). The Rebels will host this one at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium at Hollingsworth Field, with kickoff scheduled for 3:30 pm ET.
The Crimson Tide come into this weekend after a devastating 32-31 loss that likely erased their chances at the playoffs. In the loss, Bryce Young threw for 328 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Jahmyr Gibbs rushed 15 times for 99 yards.
Ole Miss won their last game two weeks ago over Texas A&M, 31-28. In the victory, Jaxon Dart threw for 140 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed for 95 yards on 17 attempts. Quinshon Judkins led the offense as he rushed 34 times for 205 yards and a score.
Alabama is the favorite despite playing on the road. They are -450 to win, while the Rebels’ moneyline sits at +340. The spread features Ole Miss +11.5 (-110), and the over/under for total points is 64.5 (-110).
Crimson Tide Tries To Bounce Back
It has certainly been a rough few weeks for the Crimson Tide. After starting the season undefeated over their first six games, they have now lost two of their last three with losses to Tennessee and LSU. Somehow, Nick Saban has to get his team prepared to try to bounce back even though their National Championship dreams have ended.
Leading the offense under center is Bryce Young. He has thrown for 2,234 yards, 19 touchdowns, and four interceptions this season. He has also rushed for another 147 yards and three scores.
Young’s favorite target has been Ja’Corey Brooks. He leads the team with 473 yards receiving and five touchdowns.
On the ground, Jahmyr Gibbs has rushed 113 times this season for 771 yards and six scores.
Despite the two losses, the Crimson Tide rank fourth in scoring, averaging 41.8 points per game (37.3 on the road). Defensively, they rank 11th, allowing 18.3 points per game to opponents (32.3 on the road).
Ole Miss Needs Defense To Step Up
Against one of the top offenses in the nation, the Rebels’ defense is certainly going to be tested on Saturday. Coming into play, they rank 41st in the nation, allowing 23.9 points per game (22.5 at home).
If their defense can even mildly slow down the Crimson Tide, the offense may be able to keep this one close. The Ole Miss offense currently ranks 20th overall, averaging 34.8 points per game.
The Rebels’ offense is led by sophomore quarterback Jaxson Dart. This season, he has thrown for 1,911 yards, 14 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. He has also rushed 80 times for 473 yards.
The leading rusher, though, is Quinshon Judkins. He has been phenomenal this season, rushing 180 times for 1,036 yards (5.8 yards per carry) and 13 touchdowns.
Through the air, Dart’s favorite target has been wide receiver Jonathan Mingo. He has 30 receptions for 664 yards and four touchdowns.
Take The Rebels And The Points
This one is a tough one to call. Alabama has certainly gone in a bit of a tailspin, and there is no way of knowing how they will respond after their heartbreaking defeat last week.
Looking at the trends, they are 6-0 in their last six games against Ole Miss, and they are 16-4 in their last 20 road games overall.
For Mississippi, they are 14-0 in their last 14 home games, but they are just 1-7 in their last eight home games against Alabama.
As previously mentioned, this might come down to how well the Rebels’ defense can contain Bryce Young and the Crimson Tide.
While it might be a stretch to expect them to win this one outright, it wouldn’t be shocking to see Ole Miss keep this one close throughout, if nothing else, because of their solid offense.
For that reason, take Ole Miss and the 11.5 points (-110) playing at home.
