Tide, take three• 1. Alabama has won six straight meetings against Mississippi State by the average score of 30-7.• 2. The Crimson Tide will be making their 22nd appearance before the ESPN "GameDay" cast since Nick Saban became coach in 2007. Oregon has the next most appearances during that time with 18.• 3. Alabama leads the nation in net punting with an average of 43.5 yards.
Alabama head coach Nick Saban talks to an official during their game against LSU in Baton Rouge, La., last Saturday. Alabama won in overtime 20-13.Alabama has played 18 games at Bryant-Denny Stadium under coach Nick Saban while ranked No. 1 in college football.
Saturday will be a little different. Not unprecedented -- just different.
When Mississippi State arrives in Tuscaloosa this weekend, it will mark just the second time in Saban's eight seasons that the No. 1 team will be in the visiting locker room. LSU was ranked No. 1 in 2011 when the Tigers came to Bryant-Denny and pulled out a 9-6 overtime triumph.
"Based on their body of work, Mississippi State has proven they are one of the best teams in the country," Saban said Monday in his weekly news conference. "They have great balance on offense, and those are the most difficult types of teams to defend."
Mississippi State has won 12 consecutive games dating back to last season, when the Bulldogs stood 4-6 overall and 1-5 in Southeastern Conference play. They registered overtime wins over Arkansas and Ole Miss late last year to earn a bid to the Liberty Bowl, where they demolished Rice.
Unranked at the beginning of this season, Mississippi State created a September stir by winning at LSU and strengthened its status last month with double-digit triumphs over Texas A&M and Auburn. The Bulldogs (9-0, 5-0 SEC) will enter Bryant-Denny trying to become the first team to win in Baton Rouge and in Tuscaloosa during the same year since they turned the trick in 1957.
Alabama (8-1, 5-1) is ranked No. 4 in the Associated Press poll and No. 3 in the USA Today coaches' poll.
"The opportunity to play big games late in the season is what it's all about and what you work for," Bulldogs coach Dan Mullen said Monday at his news conference. "When you're looking at mid-to-late November and playing important games, it's going to be fun.
"We're excited. It's a big game, and hopefully this becomes the norm for our program here as we continue to move forward."
Spearheading MSU's success this season has been junior quarterback Dak Prescott, who is on track to receiving an invitation to the Heisman Trophy ceremony. The 6-foot-2, 235-pounder has completed 146 of 239 passes (61.1 percent) for 2,231 yards with 18 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
Prescott also has rushed 143 times for 779 yards (5.4 per carry) and 11 scores.
"Dak Prescott is a very talented guy in a lot of ways," Saban said. "He's a big, physical runner, and he kind of reminds you of (Tim) Tebow in a lot of ways. He's also been a very good passer."
Complementing Prescott is junior tailback Josh Robinson, a 5-9, 215-pounder who has 146 carries for 984 yards (6.7 per carry) and 11 touchdowns. In Mississippi State's two SEC road games against LSU and Kentucky, Robinson shredded the Tigers for 197 yards and the Wildcats for 198.
"He is very, very physical and hard to tackle," Saban said. "He is built low to the ground and runs through a lot of tackles. You have to use leverage on him and get more people to the ball so you don't have to make single tackles."
Alabama junior tailback T.J. Yeldon, who sprained his ankle in Saturday night's 20-13 overtime win at LSU, will be limited the first part of this week but is expected to play Saturday.
Tide tidbits
Saturday will mark the fifth and final time Alabama can be televised in the regular season this year by CBS, and the network announced Monday that it will broadcast the Ole Miss-Mississippi State game on Nov. 29. ... The Alabama-Auburn game on Nov. 29 will be televised by ESPN with a 7:45 p.m. kickoff. ... Alabama's home game next week against Western Carolina will kick off at 4, and it will be televised by the SEC Network.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.