Ole Miss vs. Alabama
Free Pick: Alabama -4.5 odds (October 10th 2009)
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Please indulge me for a moment, as we go back in time to last December, when undefeated Alabama was playing one loss Florida in the SEC championship game. ‘Bama was a double digit underdog in that game, but they led the mighty Gators after three quarters, just 15 minutes away from playing for the national title. Those final 15 minutes weren’t pretty for the Tide. A crucial third down stop was negated by a face mask penalty, and Tim Tebow took advantage, leading the Gators on the final two scoring drives of the day in a 31-20 Florida victory.

My point is this – there’s really not much difference between the ‘juggernaut’ defending national champs and this Alabama team. It hasn’t taken Nick Saban very long to build ‘Bama back into national title contention on a yearly basis. ‘Bama’s defense has been nothing short of spectacular, holding Virginia Tech, Arkansas and Kentucky to a combined 710 total yards of total offense. The Crimson Tide offense is just as good – only three turnovers in more than 350 snaps this year; a near perfect balance between the run and the pass; and a bevy of top notch skill position talent.

Ole Miss has played three games against FBS competition this year and they haven’t looked good in any of them. Their opening day win at Memphis was far closer than the final score indicated; they lost outright at South Carolina, and much ballyhooed quarterback Jevon Snead threw three interceptions against a mediocre Vanderbilt defense last week. This offense isn’t likely to click against the best ‘D’ they’ve faced yet, and the Rebels defensive shortcomings will be on fully display against the best ‘O’ they’ve faced this year as well. Battle tested ‘Bama has won each of their last five true SEC road games by six points or more, including wins at Tennessee, LSU, Georgia and Arkansas; a trend that should continue with relative ease on Saturday. (#329) 2* Take Alabama.