College football predictions for 2019 Week 12 SEC and top 25 games
No. 5 Alabama Crimson Tide at Mississippi State Bulldogs
Line: Alabama -17.5; Over/Under: 61; TV: ESPN
Saturday, Nov. 16 at Noon ET; Davis Wade Stadium; Starkville, Miss.
One team is playing to stay alive in the playoff race, and the other is playing to stay alive in the postseason race. That actually makes this a bit more intriguing than you might think given who is playing this game at home.
The Alabama Crimson Tide suffered a rough loss to the LSU Tigers and are playing this game just hoping that have another shot at the playoff. If they lose, they are eliminated. However, can they keep their focus on the road given the fact that they are likely still devastated by last week’s loss? That’s a tough task for Nick Saban and his program.
On the other side, the Mississippi State Bulldogs are 4-5. They can still reach a bowl game by losing on Saturday, so they aren’t as desperate. But after appearing to turn a corner, they are looking to prove that they have taken that next step for good in Joe Moorhead’s second season. Can they show they have figured it out?
Prediction
This is a tough one for our college football predictions. But Alabama under Nick Saban is 0-5 on the spread against FBS teams the week after their first loss of the season. They are 1-10 overall the week after a loss. Taking that into account combined with Mississippi State rising, the Tide will win. But they will struggle. MSU’s offense has come alive, so this will be a shootout.