Ole Miss football vs. Alabama: Scouting report, score prediction

OXFORD — Ole Miss football coach Lane Kiffin has spent the week insisting that Nick Saban's Alabama dynasty isn't dead.

But Kiffin's Rebels will get an opportunity to deliver another blow to Saban's empire on Saturday (2:30 p.m., CBS) when Ole Miss (8-1, 4-1 SEC) hosts the Crimson Tide (7-2, 4-2).

Here's what to know ahead of the clash.

Good or bad timing for Ole Miss?

Saturday's game between Ole Miss and the Crimson Tide will be the first regular-season game Alabama plays with two losses on its ledger since 2010 after the Tide lost to LSU, 32-31, last week.

With a trip to the College Football Playoff all but off the table in Week 10, talking heads are questioning whether Saban has lost his touch. A former offensive coordinator under Saban from 2014-16, Kiffin knows how Saban's teams typically react to those doubts.

"They're always ready to play," Kiffin said Monday. "They always rebound over the years."

While Kiffin might prefer that his Rebels not be the next team in Saban's sights amid the criticism, the schedule lines up well for Ole Miss ahead of this one.

Alabama's loss to LSU last week was another example of a longstanding trend: If you're going to beat Saban's Crimson Tide, your best bet comes after an open week to prepare.

The Tigers had their open week before their victory last Saturday. The Rebels are coming off their open date, too.

LSU's victory marked the 20th regular-season defeat in Saban's tenure in Tuscaloosa. Eleven of them have come against teams that had an open week before they played Alabama.

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Alabama boasts elite personnel in key spots

Just about every Alabama team under Saban has been a melting pot of top-level talent, and despite the two tallies in the loss column, this year's Crimson Tide team is no exception.

Kiffin explained Monday that he believes Alabama is most talented in two of the most important positions on the field: quarterback and on the defensive edge.

Under center, Alabama brought back the reigning Heisman Trophy winner in Bryce Young. Young has completed 62.9% of his passes so far this season for 2,234 yards, 19 touchdowns and four interceptions. He's also rushed for 147 yards and three TDs despite missing a game to injury.

Young's injury status has been in question since he sat out Alabama's win over Texas A&M on Oct. 8, but Saban told reporters this week that Young is feeling good.

On defense, the Crimson Tide depend on one of the best pass-rushers in their history in Will Anderson, whose 30.5 career sacks trail only Derrick Thomas for the school record. Anderson has posted seven of those sacks this year after delivering an impressive total of 17.5 as a sophomore.

"It's not often that you have the returning Heisman Trophy winner and the best player in the country at positions where one touches the ball every down and the other one is lined up really close to the quarterback," Kiffin said. "Those are really the two best positions to have the best players at."

Rebels still finding themselves into season's late stages

Some may consider it strange that a college football team is still forming its true identity as it enters its 10th game of the season, but that's exactly where Kiffin thinks his Rebels are.

Perhaps that makes sense, considering the Rebels signed 17 transfers this offseason to go along with the nation's No. 27 recruiting class, Kiffin had more puzzle pieces to align than most of his peers.

"I've said all along, this is our best roster of the three years, collection of talent," Kiffin said. "But it does not mean it will be the best team. We're still coming together."

Kiffin's team may still be evolving, but something approaching a complete performance will be necessary for the Rebels to leave Vaught-Hemingway Stadium with a win Saturday.

"You've got to do everything right in order to beat these guys," he said. "You have to coach really well, play really well, win situations, manage things, take risks. There's a reason why they're the best over time at what they do."

Score prediction

Alabama 33, Ole Miss 30. The 11.5-point cushion granted to the Crimson Tide on the road this Saturday by the bookmakers is too large, but it's going to take a borderline perfect performance from Ole Miss to win outright here, as Kiffin explained. Don't put it past the Rebels, but it's probably not the most likely outcome.

David Eckert covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at deckert@gannett.com or reach him on Twitter @davideckert98.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Ole Miss football vs. Alabama: Scouting report, score prediction