Alabama Looks Like SEC's Team to Beat After Humbling Mississippi State

The Crimson Tide blew out the Bulldogs to improve to 5-0. Can Alabama keep rolling next week against Georgia?

by Kyle Wood

Oct 4, 2026

The Crimson Tide blew out the Bulldogs to improve to 5-0. Can Alabama keep rolling next week against Georgia?

Alabama has been here before. The Crimson Tide has a long history of blowing teams out and emptying opposing stadiums. But it’s been a while since it looked and felt like this.

Routine. Fun. Easy.

No. 7 Alabama entered a sold-out Davis Wade Stadium Saturday morning against a No. 16 Mississippi State team that was deservedly feeling itself. The Bulldogs were undefeated and ranked for the first time since 2022. Thanks to the play of Heisman hopeful quarterback Kamario Taylor, there was reason to believe Mississippi State had a chance to finally end its 16-game losing streak to the Crimson Tide. That didn’t last long.

Alabama scored twice before Mississippi State crossed the 50-yard line and never looked back in a 56-23 triumph. That’s the most points the Crimson Tide have scored in a game against an SEC opponent since 2020, the year it ran the table and won its most recent title. ‘Bama also set a new program record for points scored on the road against a ranked team.

Alabama quarterback Keelon Russell (12) passes against Mississippi State at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field on Oct. 3, 2026, in Starkville, Mississippi.

This was the kind of performance the Crimson Tide needed to legitimize their strong start. As good as they’ve looked with Keelon Russell at quarterback complemented by a rejuvenated run game, there were still some questions about the quality of competition Alabama had beaten. And even in games that turned out to be convincing wins, the Tide still had to mount comebacks against Kentucky and Florida State.

Saturday’s performance, which saw Alabama outgain Mississippi State 483-302 (and 179-18 on the ground), put any doubt about the Tide’s legitimacy to bed. Alabama is back.

Russell solidified his Heisman candidacy. He completed 16-of-22 passes for 285 yards and three touchdowns and ran in a touchdown. This was his third game in a row with at least three scores through the air and one on the ground. Russell’s total touchdown count is now up to 15. Russell also did not commit a turnover. His efficient performance stood in stark contrast to Taylor, who put the Bulldogs in an early hole with a pick-six after he fumbled on the first possession of the game.

The Crimson Tide defense held Mississippi State’s explosive offense in check. Alabama piled up five sacks and nine tackles for loss and came away with four turnovers. The interception Dijon Lee Jr. returned for a score in the first quarter was the Tide’s fourth defensive touchdown of the season.

Alabama wide receiver Noah Rogers (5) reacts with defensive back Ivan Taylor (13) during the first half against Mississippi State at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field on Oct. 3, 2026, in Starkville, Mississippi.

The only thing that was working for the Bulldogs was Taylor’s connection with wide receiver Anthony Evans III, who caught 12 passes for 166 yards and two scores. And that was hardly enough to keep pace with Alabama’s offense, which punted just twice.

The Crimson Tide are the first team to score 45-plus points in each of their first five games since 2019 Oklahoma. Think of all the great offenses since then that didn’t hit that mark. Alabama is operating at an extremely high level.

The only SEC teams that are still undefeated are the Crimson Tide, top-ranked Texas and No. 2 Georgia, which is the only team in the country that’s averaging more points per game than Alabama. As usual, the Crimson Tide and Bulldogs are on a collision course. Georgia is headed to Tuscaloosa next Saturday for what will likely be a top-five matchup.

Results in the SEC have been tough to parse through five weeks. Consider the conference’s chaos: Ole Miss beat LSU. Florida blew out the Rebels. Then the Gators turned around and lost to Missouri, which had been beaten by Mississippi State the week before. And now Alabama has added a dominant win over the Bulldogs to its résumé.

Next week’s SEC championship rematch at Bryant-Denny Stadium should bring further clarity to the conference hierarchy at the season’s halfway point. But games like this serve as a reminder that the Crimson Tide are very much a national championship contender.