Mississippi State vs. Alabama Prediction, TV Channel, Kickoff Time, Everything Fans Need to Know

STARKVILLE — It's been nearly two decades since Mississippi State felt the joy of a win against Alabama. Sylvester Croom was roaming the sidelines as first-year coach Nick Saban and his Crimson Tide program were in the midst of a late season slide.

Fast-forward 20 years and its Kalen DeBoer leading the way, looking to lead his team to 5-0 record for the first time in his tenure.

On the flip side, Mississippi State coach Jeff Lebby is looking to earn the first signature win of his young head coaching career while hosting No. 7 ranked Alabama for a nationally televised showdown on ABC.

Here's everything you need to know to be prepared for what's a pivotal weekend for the Bulldogs program.

Mississippi State Bulldogs running back Fluff Bothwell (24) and wide receiver Zion Ragins (7) react after a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Missouri Tigers at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Game Information

Mississippi State vs. Alabama Crimson Tide
When: Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026
Kickoff Time: 11 a.m. CT
Venue: Davis Wade Stadium, Starkville, Mississippi
TV Channel: ABC
Radio: Bulldogs Sports Network
Series Record: Alabama leads 86-18-3
Betting: Alabama (-5.5), O/u: 60.5 total points (FanDuel)

DISCLAIMER: Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

What ESPN Thinks

The brand of Alabama remains strong on the national radar and that's no different this week at ESPN with the Crimson Tide given a 74.2% chance of going into one of the most hostile atmospheres in all of college football and pulling out a win, according to ESPN's Football Power Index.

Mississippi State State continues its climb up the FPI rating system, coming in this week at No. 9 among SEC teams and No. 20 overall with key victories on the road at Minnesota and South Carolina plus another against then No. 19 Missouri.

This starts one of the stiffest stretches for any team as the Bulldogs are set for a murderer's row-level slate with Alabama coming Saturday, proceeded by a BYE, on the road at LSU, home against Oklahoma and then another road trip to Austin to face the Texas Longhorns.

The Bulldogs chances of winning out are slim at 0.1%, but do have a 97.5% chance of at least reaching bowl eligibility with six wins. When it comes to making the playoffs, Lebby's team has the sixth-best odds SEC teams at 23.8% to at least make the field, 1.6% to make the championship game and 0.5% chance to win the national championship.

ESPN FPI (SEC) Rankings

1. Georgia
2. Texas
3. Alabama
4. LSU
5. Florida
6. Tennessee
7. Texas A&M
8. Ole Miss
9. Mississippi State
10. Oklahoma
11. Auburn
12. South Carolina
13. Missouri
14. Kentucky
15. Vanderbilt
16. Arkansas

Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer walks off the field after a victory against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

What DeBoer Is Saying

One of the hardest things for a coach to prepare his team for in a road game at Davis-Wade Stadium is the cadence of cowbells. Thousands of cowbells.

"Personally, this is one of those stadiums that I haven't played in no matter where I've been," DeBoer said Monday. "What I hear from the people that I trust, is that it's going to be an absolutely crazy environment. We're going to be prepared for that. We talked about as a team this morning and we're looking forward to that challenge.

"We know, this week, we've got to work on that crowd noise. There will probably be a lot of cowbells that we're hearing in practice in one form or fashion. Another thing is that it's just an early game. It's an 11 o'clock kickoff. We're a morning practice team and we've had some success in those morning games. We've got to go on the road and travel that morning. It's going to be a little different set-up that way too."

The Bulldogs' defense has been very active this season at stopping explosive plays and keeping everything in front of them. They're disciplined, bring elite energy and effort with each down.

"They play complementary football. They get the ball back, get off the field and get the ball back to the offense. I think it's timely stops. It's a group effort of guys flying around. They're going to be multiple in what they show you.

"I have a lot of respect for them and what they are doing this time of the year. I think complementary football is what they're doing really well at Mississippi State. They're explosive. Obviously, that defense has to face that offense every day in practice. It's high level across the board."

Mississippi State Bulldogs head coach Jeff Lebby looks on during the second quarter against the Missouri Tigers at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

What Lebby Is Saying

The Crimson Tide offense is full of big play athletes at nearly every position.

Whether that's done with Keelon Russell's dual-threat combination, a four-headed backfield, Ryan Williams or any other weapon, Lebby knows his defense has to play assignment-driven, technically sound football to avoid allowing the game to get away from them early.

"We're gonna have to do a great job tackling," Lebby said. "That's gonna be a huge piece of it. He's played really well. He's been incredibly productive. There's been explosive plays. He's got great talent around him. And so for us it's going to be about applying pressure, getting our fans really involved and excited about what's going on in between those white lines.

"So for us it's kinda like I mentioned. We gotta get him off the spot and we've got to do a great job taking air out of it on the back end and making the plays when we get the chance."

Alabama is tied for No. 24 nationally in sacks with 11 on the season.

On the otherhand, Mississippi State has given up nine sacks on the season, which ranks No. 9 nationally, but the most alarming number was the four given up against Missouri in last week's 31-24 victory.

And Lebby knows the biggest key to the Bulldogs upset bid will be keeping star quarterback Kamario Taylor upright to further establish himself as a Heisman Trophy contender.

“[We] had moments where we were really clean, and had moments where we’ve got to continue to clean up,” Lebby said. “The fundamental pieces of it I’m gonna continue to talk about. Those guys playing clean fundamentally gives us the best chance to protect 1, but there were issues from a game standpoint.

"We didn’t do a great job on the penetrator a couple times, and that’s part of being able to clean that up as we watch the tape, a huge focus for us this week.”

Prediction: Mississippi State 42, Alabama 38

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