After easily dismantling Southern Miss, No. 1 Alabama will face a much more challenging opponent from the Magnolia State this week in No. 12 Ole Miss. The Crimson Tide (4-0, 1-0 in the SEC) is currently a 14.5-point favorite over the Rebels (3-0), according to VegasInsider.com.
Here are five things to watch heading into the matchup.
Will Saban’s streak continue?
A week after recording his 100th straight victory over an unranked opponent, Nick Saban is looking to extend another streak on Saturday. With Lane Kiffin making his return to Tuscaloosa, Ala., Saban once again finds himself on the opposing sideline to one of his former assistants.
Saban’s 23-0 record against his former protégés is well-documented. However, when you break down the run, the numbers are even more daunting.
Only two of those 23 wins have come by single digits as Kirby Smart’s Georgia teams kept things close twice in 2018 during the national championship game (26-23) and the SEC Championship Game (35-28). Kiffin gave Saban a scare in 2009 when his Tennessee team came within a blocked field goal away from knocking off No. 1 Alabama inside Bryant-Denny Stadium in a 12-10 defeat to the Tide. However, that game occurred before Kiffin served under Saban from 2014-16.
In total, Saban has outscored his former assistants by a combined 980-397 over his 23 wins. That’s an average score of roughly 43-17. Those numbers are especially impressive considering that 12 of the victories came against ranked teams, including six against top-10 opponents.
Last season, Kiffin’s Ole Miss team made life difficult for Alabama as the Tide survived a 63-48 slugfest in Oxford, Miss. Alabama players expect this year’s game to be just as tough as they look to help their coach keep his streak alive.
“We obviously wanna keep that record intact,” Alabama offensive lineman Evan Neal said. “That just is a great accolade for Coach Saban. But I can’t speak for him, but I imagine – I don’t know if he too much thinks about it that way. We just go out and try to play to our standard every Saturday.”
Added safety Jordan Battle: “That’s a great record to have, but Ole Miss is a great team this year, so we have to focus on this team in this time and right now."
