SEC: Alabama vs Mississippi State 10/22/22 College Football Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Alabama Crimson Tide and Mississippi State Bulldogs meet Saturday in week 8 SEC college football action from Bryant-Denny. Mississippi State played Kentucky in their last outing. In that one, the Bulldogs lost by 10 points. As for Alabama, they’re coming off a game versus Tennessee. The Crimson Tide ended up falling in a heartbreaker loss. Check back all season long for free college football picks at Sports Chat Place.

Mississippi State got through their first two games well with wins 49-23 over Memphis and 39-17 over Arizona. Following a loss 31-16 to LSU the Bulldogs bounced back to take out Bowling Green 45-14, Texas A&M 42-24 and Arkansas 40-17. 

Matched up against Kentucky last weekend, the Bulldogs were outscored 24-14 in the second half during a 27-17 loss. Quarterback Will Rogers finished with 203 yards, one TD and one pick. Jo’quavious Marks added 60 yards on seven catches. 

Over on the Alabama side, they blew out Utah State 55-0 in their opener before a tight win 20-19 versus Texas. The Tide would then keep it up with wins 63-7 over LA-Monroe, 55-3 over Vanderbilt, 49-26 versus Arkansas and 24-20 over Texas A&M. 

In the Tennessee game, Alabama had a 35-34 edge going into the final quarter. The Tide were outscored 18-14 from there in a tough 52-49 loss. QB Bryce Young finished with 455 yards and two scores. Jahmyr Gibbs added 103 rush yards with three scores on 24 carries. 

The Bulldogs are 4-1 ATS in their last five in October and 6-2 ATS versus a team with a winning record. Mississippi State is 7-3-1 ATS in their last 11 on grass. 

Meanwhile, the Tide are 4-0 ATS in their last four after a straight-up loss and 17-6 ATS in their last 23 at home. Alabama is 12-5 ATS in their last 17 in October. 

PICK: I’m probably staying with Alabama, but realistically I could go either way. The line is pretty thick; I could see the Bulldogs covering as well. The Tide fought hard against a tough Tennessee team over the weekend, but couldn’t quite pull off the win. The glaring stat here is Alabama’s 17 penalties for 130 yards. On defense the Tide allowed 567 yards, 8.1 yards per play and 29 first downs but they also came up with a couple of turnovers. Alabama should be sharper in this one after a week of practice. 

As for Mississippi State, they had a rough game themselves versus Kentucky: just 225 total yards (22 rush yards), 13 first downs, 13 penalties and a rough 3-of-11 run on third-down tries. Things won’t get easier against an angry Alabama team this coming weekend.