Alabama’s next stop comes with a familiar voice, a ranked opponent, and a chance to keep rolling through the SEC.
The Crimson Tide head to Starkville for a Week 5 matchup with Mississippi State, and ESPN has lined up Sean McDonough and Greg McElroy to handle the broadcast from Davis Wade Stadium. Katie George will work the sidelines.
It’s the third Alabama game this season that McDonough and McElroy have called. The pair were on the mic for the Tide’s 45-17 win at Kentucky in Week 2 and the 50-36 victory over Florida State at Bryant-Denny Stadium the next week. McDonough and McElroy are ABC and ESPN’s No. 2 team, behind Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit.
The game will air nationally on ABC and stream on ESPN+. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. CT Saturday.
Both teams enter unbeaten and ranked. Alabama sits at No. 7 in this week’s US LBM Coaches Poll and AP Top 25 after blasting South Carolina 49-18.
Keelon Russell powered that win with four touchdown passes in the first half, finishing 21 of 27 for 365 yards. The first-year starter and former five-star recruit also added a 9-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter to close the scoring.
Mississippi State, ranked No. 16, comes in off its own statement win. The Bulldogs rallied past 19th-ranked Missouri, 31-24, at Davis Wade Stadium in Week 4.
Kamario Taylor turned in his best outing of the season, throwing for a career-high 360 yards and three touchdowns. Mississippi State scored 14 points in the fourth quarter to finish off the comeback.
This one also carries some history. Alabama and Mississippi State will meet for the 109th time, with the Bulldogs standing as the Crimson Tide’s most frequent opponent. Alabama leads the series 88-17-3, and the schools played every year from 1948 through 2023.
The Tide won the most recent meeting 40-17 in Starkville on Sept. 30, 2023, and Alabama has taken 16 straight in the series.
Here are the last 10 results between the programs:
Sept. 17, 2023: Alabama 40, Mississippi State 17 (Starkville)
Oct. 22, 2022: Alabama 30, Mississippi State 6 (Tuscaloosa)
Oct. 16, 2021: Alabama 49, Mississippi State 9 (Starkville)
Oct. 31, 2020: Alabama 41, Mississippi State 0 (Tuscaloosa)
Nov. 16, 2019: Alabama 38, Mississippi State 7 (Starkville)
Nov. 10, 2018: Alabama 24, Mississippi State 0 (Tuscaloosa)
Nov. 11, 2017: Alabama 31, Mississippi State 24 (Starkville)
Nov. 12, 2016: Alabama 51, Mississippi State 3 (Tuscaloosa)
Nov. 14, 2015: Alabama 31, Mississippi State 6 (Starkville)
Nov. 15, 2014: Alabama 25, Mississippi State 20 (Tuscaloosa)
Alabama’s 2026 schedule now moves into a stretch that includes Georgia on Oct. 10 and a trip to Tennessee on Oct. 17. For now, though, the Tide are 4-0 overall and 2-0 in SEC play, with Starkville next on the list.
In Other News...
Kalen DeBoers Starkville Travel Plan Says A Lot About Alabama Prep
Kalen DeBoers travel plan for Alabamas trip to Mississippi State says plenty about how the staff is handling this week. Rather than bus to Starkville on Friday and spend the night there, the Crimson Tide will remain in Tuscaloosa and leave Saturday morning, a setup DeBoer tied to past practice and the availability of the teams preferred accommodations at home.
It also gives a small window into the rhythm Alabama wants heading into the game. The team is set to depart early Saturday and begin practice at 9 a.m. CT, with players typically checking in at 6:45 a.m. CT, a schedule that keeps the focus on routine and preparation right up to kickoff. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Faces An O-Line Concern Heading Into Mississippi State
The SECs new injury reporting policy is already putting a little more light on Alabamas health picture as the Crimson Tide head into its conference game against Mississippi State. This weeks report lists right tackle Jayvin James as questionable, a note that matters on a front line where availability can shape everything from protection to play-calling, while other names around the roster are trending toward being available.
Alabamas overall injury list still has some longer-term concerns attached to it, too, with Jeremiah Beaman and Cayden Jones among the players confirmed to miss the 2026 season because of injuries. For a team navigating the grind of SEC play, the immediate question is less about the long view and more about how the Tide lines up at a spot that can change the tone of a game before it even settles in. [Read more 🡒]
Nick Saban Just Took Another Hard Line In The Pay Fight
Nick Saban used a recent appearance on ESPNs First Take to weigh in on the Protect College Sports Act, and the longtime Alabama coach made clear he sees the issue of athlete compensation through a different lens than many of the sports most vocal advocates. The proposal is designed to boost pay for student-athletes while also protecting womens and Olympic sports, and it would add more structure around topics such as transfer rules, eligibility limits and agent fees.
Sabans argument was rooted in the idea that player pay and coach pay operate in separate markets, with him comparing a students scholarship to a professors salary as part of his broader case. The legislation also includes a retention fund for athlete compensation, which puts the debate squarely at the intersection of fairness, roster stability and the future shape of college sports, the same terrain Saban has been challenging for years. [Read more 🡒]