Former UCLA Coach Rick Neuheisel Predicts Winner of Alabama-Mississippi State Game

Rick Neuheisel has circled a matchup between Alabama and Mississippi State that will decide the game's outcome.

Rick Neuheisel (Head Coach) answers questions during the Arizona Hotshots media day, December 17, 2018, at Thunderbird School of Global Management, Glendale. Hotshots | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

No. 7 Alabama (4-0, 2-0) travels to Davis Wade Stadium to face No. 16 Mississippi State (4-0, 2-0) in the SEC's lone ranked matchup of Week 5 (Noon EDT, ABC).

These two programs are separated by an hour and a half's driving distance and are meeting for the first time in three seasons. Alabama and Mississippi State have been traditional staples on each other's schedules, although the 86-18-3 advantage held by the Crimson Tide makes for the most lopsided series in SEC history.

The Bulldogs' last victory was in 2007, Nick Saban's first season in Tuscaloosa. The closest Mississippi State came within the last 16 meetings was in 2017; the game was tied in the final 30 seconds, and Jalen Hurts hit then-freshman wide receiver DeVonta Smith for a 26-yard touchdown pass to win it 31-24.

The matchup features a pair of high-octane offenses

Sep 26, 2026; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Keelon Russell (12) throws the ball during the first quarter against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Leong-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Alabama has scored 45 points or more in each of its first four games. The Crimson Tide did run back interceptions for touchdowns in three of those four, but that means the offense has scored no fewer than 38 points in a game to start the season.

Keelon Russell has been fantastic for Alabama, but the most impressive part of the offense is the run game. The Crimson Tide has been questionable in that department for the better part of three seasons, and it has very quickly found a combination of offensive linemen and running backs to correct the deficiency.

On the other side, Kamario Taylor has lived up to the hype for Mississippi State. He guided the Bulldogs to a pair of road wins at Minnesota and South Carolina to bring excitement to a fan base desperate for optimism, and he delivered a 31-24 win over Missouri to a packed Davis Wade Stadium under the lights in Week 4.

Neuheisel: "I see two matchups here that are really cool."

CBS Sports' "Inside College Football" panel predicted the winner of the game between Alabama and Mississippi State on Tuesday. Former UCLA head coach Rick Neuheisel pointed to a pair of critical matchups between the Crimson Tide and Bulldogs while making his game pick.

"Number one is the quarterbacks," Neuheisel said. "These two guys are both going to play on Sundays, both have just unique frames. They're 19 years old and they're just getting started."

Despite the intrigue in the quarterback matchup, Neuheisel pointed to the other matchup as a deciding factor due to the current weather forecast for Saturday.

"The second matchup is between the two defensive coordinators," Neuheisel said. "Both have been head coaches: Kane Wommack was at South Alabama, Zach Arnett was ironically right here at Mississippi State, these guys know how to play field position defense. It's supposed to rain a lot during the game, I think I've got to go, in that situation with Alabama."