Alabama Crimson Tide vs. Mississippi St. Bulldogs Football Preview: A Trap Game That Isn't

Alabama Crimson Tide vs. Mississippi St. Bulldogs, 7:45 p.m. ET, ESPN

Sure, there's a chance that the Tide could get caught in a trap game here. They did just get the big win against LSU, and only the game against Chattanooga stands between Alabama and Auburn. If it's possible to look ahead two weeks, then Alabama is in a position to do it.

But this is Nick Saban we're talking about. If there's any coach that can keep his team from looking ahead or suffering through a letdown game, it's him. The process doesn't even allow you to look at games as anything more than a series of plays that must be executed as close to perfectly as possible. Allowing another game to enter into the equation doesn't compute.

If there's hope for Mississippi State in this game, it's that the Tide does have a tendency to drop a game here or there in November. Of the seven games Nick Saban has lost since the end of his first season with the Tide, six have happened in November or later. And the Tide has been the favorite in some of those games. But those other teams have been better than the Bulldogs, and the only November game that Alabama has a real chance at losing is later in the month. Where the Tide is probably not looking just yet.

Alabama 45, Mississippi State 10