Staff Predictions for Alabama vs. Ole Miss

Alabama will be facing its first true test this season as it heads over to The Grove to face sixth-ranked Ole Miss.

The Rebels are returning a veteran quarterback in Bo Wallace, who is eager to continue this impressive season with a victory over the Crimson Tide. For Alabama, the first year starting quarterback, Blake Sims, is making a mark with his impressive play so far this season exceeding many expectations.

This game will be a strong indicator for who is real and who is not. Lets see what the staff thinks:

Chris Stewart (Host of "The Chris Stewart Show")

Ryan Fowler (Host of "The Game")

I still believe old-fashioned football works. Alabama and Ole Miss are equally talented at many key positions on both sides of the ball. However, Alabama has yet to rush the football like a typical Nick Saban type offense but still ranks in the top 20 in CFB for rushing the ball (258 yds per game). Ole Miss is behind an offensive line that has struggled at times and ranks 76^th in CFB. Rushing the ball will be a struggle and they will face the 3rd best rush defense on Saturday. Statics tells you Ole Miss will struggle to run the ball against Alabama and when you are a one-dimensional offense against a Saban defense, that generally does not turn out well for the opposition.

Alabama will play a balanced attack offense with a heavier emphasis on the rushing attack, which is the difference in the game.  Alabama and Nick Saban win the 17th game in front of Lee Corso and the ESPN Game day crew. Alabama 28 Ole Miss 17. 

Ryan McMunn (Producer for The Chris Stewart Show and The Game)

Finally, a good game. Okay, on the surface it looks good, but we all know better than that. I may be the only person in the world that isn't sold on Ole Miss QB Bo Wallace because his stats aren't anything noteworthy against Nick Saban and the Tide defense. He has a career quarterback rating of 144.5 on the FBS level (which isn't bad by any means, I know), but has yet to score an individual touchdown against the Crimson Tide in his career (passing and rushing included). His big target, Laquon Treadwell, is one of the best wide receivers in the country, and although Alabama's cornerback play has been spotty at best this season, they'll keep him in check, as Wallace has only completed 56.1% of his passes against the Tide defense in two games. Alabama has his number, and they have mismatches all over the field on the offensive side of the ball; most notably running back Kenyan Drake, who can line up at any position on the field. Look for Bama to open up the playbook a little more, like in the Florida game, and expect a similar result as well. Alabama 41 Ole Miss 20

Trey Brooks (Producer)

Good Bo Wallace is good. Bad Bo Wallace is an eyesore. I'll assume he brings his best, because anything less would be doom for Ole Miss. I've been saying this for weeks now, but I do expect Alabama to rely more on the run in this game. The Rebel defense gives them a chance, but this is not the offense that can take advantage of Alabama. Alabama 24, Ole Miss 13

Kevin Connell (Contributor)

Ole Miss may very well be a team capable of pulling out an upset but the odds are dwindling for a few reasons:

- Blake Sims has been a revelation at quarterback, running an offense that hasn't come close to being slowed down by anybody yet. Even with an Ole Miss defense ranked fourth nationally, slightly ahead of Alabama at No. 5, it doesn't appear that quarterback inexperience will be a major issue.

- Bo Wallace is still turnover prone, as seen in the Rebels ugly 24-3 win over Memphis last week. As dominant as Ole Miss can be on defense, it's offense has proven to be inconsistent.

With ESPN's "College Gameday" making its first-ever trip to Oxford, the atmosphere inside Vaught-Hemingway Stadium is expected to be unlike anything else seen there in recent memory. Problem is Alabama is used to these types of atmospheres, and Ole Miss is not. Alabama 30, Ole Miss 10