David Pollack Picks Winner of Alabama-Mississippi State

Two of the best young quarterbacks in college football go head-to-head Saturday when No. 7 Alabama visits No. 16 Mississippi State.

For that matter, two of the best teams in the country clash in Starkville, Mississippi, as the Crimson Tide (4-0, 2-0 SEC) and Bulldogs (4-0, 2-0) kickoff at noon ET on ABC in arguably the most compelling matchup of the day.

College football analyst David Pollack dissected the matchup on his "See Ball Get Ball" podcast while noting the key factors that he believes will ultimately sway the game as Mississippi State and sophomore QB Kamario Taylor take on Alabama and redshirt-freshman QB Keelon Russell.

"Man, these two quarterbacks, how exciting. Is there a better matchup for just some of the most talented guys in the country, some of the biggest playmakers, some of the young stars in the game that have just been putting up video game, stupid numbers?" Pollack said. "... It's been crazy to watch them. There's supposed to be a little bit of a learning curve."

How Mississippi State's Kamario Taylor and Alabama's Keelon Russell stack up

Mississippi State sophomore quarterback Kamario Taylor is one of the breakout stars of this 2026 college football season. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Taylor got a chance to flash his immense upside at the end of last season, making two starts as a true freshman.

Against Ole Miss in late November, Taylor threw for 178 yards and an interception but rushed for 173 yards and 2 scores in a loss. Then in the Duke's Mayo Bowl vs. Wake Forest, he threw for 241 yards and a TD and rushed for 63 yards and a score.

Now the full-fledged starter this season, Taylor has yet to fully unleash his rushing ability, taking off only as needed thus far with 37 attempts for 185 yards and a TD. But that component of his game is an ever-present threat to opposing defenses nonetheless.

Meanwhile, he's showcased his arm talent in a major way, completing 69.2% of his passes for 1,192 yards, 14 TDs and 2 INTs.

That included a season-high 360 yards with 3 TDs and 1 INT in a 31-24 win over Missouri last week.

Your weekly dose of Kamario Taylor throwing a perfect deep ball🤩

(Via: SEC Network)pic.twitter.com/S0ZAp7gsST
— PFF College (@PFF_College) September 27, 2026

As for Russell, the redshirt-freshman has gotten better and better with each week this season.

Since passing for just 188 yards with 1 TD and 2 INTs in a Week 2 win over Kentucky, Russell has found his comfort zone the last two weeks.

He completed 23 of 30 passes for 320 yards, 3 TDs and 0 INTs along with 3 rushes for 56 yards and a score in a 50-36 win over Florida State and then went 21-of-27 passing for 365 yards, 4 TDs and 0 INTs plus another rushing TD in a 49-18 blowout over South Carolina.

Overall, Russell has completed 70.9% of his passes for 1,129 yards, 8 TDs and 2 INTs with 168 rushing yards and 3 scores.

Keelon Russell was making NFL THROWS all game long against South Carolina.

Russell finished the game 21/27 (78%), for 365 passing yards, and 5 TOTAL TD’s.

The Alabama QB is one of the most talented QB prospects in PROGRAM HISTORY 😳🔥 pic.twitter.com/LNwW4LIqJu
— Rookie Watch (@RookieWatxh) September 27, 2026

"No teams feel better about their team moving forward for next season and for this season than Alabama and Mississippi State, so think about that," Pollack said. "They found their guys that are lightning in a bottle that can make plays with their feet, but both of them are athletic guys that play the quarterback spot."

David Pollack makes his prediction for Alabama-Mississippi State

Alabama quarterback Keelon Russell has passed for 1,129 yards, 8 TDs and 2 INTs through four games plus 3 rushing TDs. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

As to the matchup Saturday, Alabama is a 5.5-point road favorite, per DraftKings Sportsbook.

Along with Taylor, Mississippi State is led offensively by running back Fluff Bothwell (402 rushing yards, 96 receiving yards and 4 totals TDs) and wide receivers Anthony Evans III (28 catches for 408 yards and 3 TDs) and Sanfrisco Magee (13-208-5). Bothwell is listed as probable for Saturday with an unspecified injury that is believed to be minor.

Mississippi State ranks fourth nationally at 533.3 yards per game and 15th in scoring at 43.0 points per game. Defensively, the Bulldogs rank just 74th in yards allowed (353.8/game) and 52nd in scoring defense (21.0 PPG).

For Alabama, Russell's top targets have been Ryan Coleman-Williams (17-333-3) and Lotzeir Brooks (17-256-1), while Daniel Hill leads an improved Crimson Tide rushing attack with 225 yards and 4 TDs on 4.9 yards per carry.

Alabama ranks fourth nationally in scoring at 48.0 PPG and 24th in total offense (471.5 YPG), while ranking 47th in total defense (315.3 YPG) and 46th in scoring defense (20.3 PPG).

Pollack ultimately gives Alabama the edge for a few reasons.

"If I'm Kamario Taylor, I love what I have. I love my wide receivers. I love my running back. I love my system. I love my coach. I don't know that I love my offensive line, and specifically the left tackle spot," Pollack said. "It's an issue. It's a problem. It was last week time and time again. You're just watching holding penalty, holding penalty, turnstile.

"Everything about me wants to pick Mississippi State, but it feels like the Kentucky [vs. Alabama] game to me a little bit. I don't know that Mississippi State can affect the passer enough. Can they get enough pressure? Can they get Alabama behind the chains? Can you get Keelon Russell to the ground?

"I love the way Alabama is playing football right now. I just like it. I think the arrow is pointing way up, [the Crimson Tide is] becoming more physical in who they are and finding themselves. I like Alabama in this game -- I think it's 34-28. I think K1 is going to do his thing, he's going to make some plays, but it's just hard to pick against Alabama's talent, their whole team and Keelon Russell being able to go tit for tat with you and Alabama's defense making the degree of difficulty just a little too hard for a banged-up-slightly K1, a banged-up-slightly Bothwell. Those are two big issues in this game too that I'll be interested to see."

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.

Add us as a preferred source on Google