This coming Saturday is a relatively light schedule, especially compared to last week. So, it has left us with only two real options for this week’s Romantic’s Guide. Ohio State will go on the road to Kinnick Stadium to take on a Hawkeyes team that is fresh off their most dramatic win in recent memory. No doubt, this game is vitally important in both team’s path to the playoff, but there is another matchup that has a bit more juice behind it this week.
Instead of Iowa City, we set our sights on Starkville, Mississippi. The home of the Mississippi State Bulldogs - as well as new world record for most cowbells rung simultaneously (how can you not be romantic about college football?).
The New Mississippi State
In the past few seasons, Mississippi State has been a bit of a doormat in the SEC. They struggled following the untimely passing of head coach Mike Leach in 2022. It plunged them into a state of flux they were not ready for, and a few coaches came and went in the couple years that followed. They eventually landed on Jeff Lebby, an offensive coordinator from Oklahoma, to lead the Bulldogs. He started modestly, posting a 2-10 showing in his first season in 2024. In 2025, they improved to 5-7, including Lebby’s sole SEC win in his first 2 years at the helm (over Arkansas, of course). But they did show encouraging signs of progress despite the lack of results - including taking Arch Manning and Texas to the wire in a game they probably should have won.
Fast forward to this season, and the Bulldogs are 4-0, including 2 SEC wins and a trouncing of Minnesota on the road. They are ranked 16th in the AP poll, their highest since 2018. And they have a budding star at quarterback in sophomore Kamario Taylor. Lebby has turned the Bulldogs around in swift fashion, and the local lad is at the forefront. Kamario Taylor is from Macon, Mississippi - a mere half-hour drive from Wade Davis Stadium. He received offers from the likes of Georgia and Texas A&M coming out of high school but chose to stay home in Starkville. And his loyalty has been richly rewarding for both parties thus far.
He has been nothing short of a revelation for the Bulldogs this year. Some of the deep balls on his game tape are unlike anything else you will see from a college football quarterback. Do yourself a favor and go watch his touchdown pass in the first quarter of the Missouri game last week if you haven’t already. It’s not often you come across a possibly generational talent like this, especially for a program like Mississippi State It may be a bit harsh, but when you are historically the second-best program in your own state and literally surrounded by elite programs in your own conference, it can be difficult to bring in the talent profile of guys like Taylor. But when they have these windows of success, they must capitalize.
The talent surround Kamario Taylor isn’t elite by any means, especially when you compare it to the supporting cast on the other sideline this weekend. But the offense has been fun so far. It’s some of the most watchable offense for the casual football fan - basics but executed well and catered to the athletes they have on the field. The receivers on the outside for the Bulldogs are legitimate burners (again, watch the Missouri tape) that will kill you over the top. The shots over the top open up the quick passing game and the spread offense opens up some gaps for the running backs when they face lighter defensive personnel as a result. It’s incredibly complimentary and relieves a bit of pressure from an offensive line that will have its hands full and then some on Saturday afternoon.
Deboer’s Best Squad in Tuscaloosa
On Alabama’s sideline are Kalen Deboer and Keelon Russell. Kamario Taylor has likely been the best quarterback in the SEC not named Trinidad Chambliss, but Keelon Russell is easily the 2B to Taylor’s 2A. All the things I said earlier about Taylor are mostly true about Russell. The deep ball has been excellent. The decision making has been excellent. And he has had plenty of time behind the Tide’s offensive line to work through progressions and make the right reads downfield. It also doesn’t hurt to have Ryan Coleman-Williams as an option at receiver. Despite his previous issues with drops and some up-and-down production, he is still a preternaturally gifted athlete.
The strength of Alabama’s squad has lied in the trenches so far in the early season, which is certainly a welcome sight for Tide fans after the past few years. The Alabama offensive line has been a surprisingly impressive unit this year. Not many pundits or fans expected them to be an elite unit, and they may not be yet. But they have become a major point of strength of this offensive unit - allowing Russell the time he needs to throw and providing enough of a push to establish a decent run game to provide balance.
The defensive line and linebackers are also loaded with talent. They have shown the ability to plug gaps at the line of scrimmage, as well as shed blocks and make big plays. Previously, where Deboer’s Alabama squads have faltered has been due to a lack of physicality. They struggled to run the ball much of last season. Many detractors chalked that up to a lack of physicality. And maybe the detractors were right. But this year, the trenches are physical and the offense is much more in rhythm than it was last year with Ty Simpson. It also doesn’t hurt that Keelon Russell can make opponents pay carrying the ball himself when presented with the opportunity.
Why Does this Matter? Won’t the Tide Roll?
The opponent standing in the way of a historic weekend in Starkville. Despite Mississippi State’s last meeting with the Crimson Tide coming in 2023, these two schools have played each other 107 times dating back to 1896. Alabama has dominated the series, winning 86 of those matchups - including the last 16. The last Bulldogs’ victory came in 2007. Anthony Johnson picked off Bama QB John Parker Wilson and returned it over 100 yards for a score, and Boobie Dixon added a touchdown on the ground to secure a 17-12 victory in Davis Wade Stadium. That same Bama team also picked up what is likely Saban’s most embarrassing loss of his career the following week to Louisiana-Monroe of the Sun Belt. So, perhaps it was not the greatest team in Alabama history.
I’m not in the business of making picks, but there are a variety of reasons that would lead most people to assume that this time will be similar to the last 16 matchups. I haven’t quite been able to convince myself that the Bulldogs will win, but the emotional release that would come from Starkville, Mississippi on Saturday is enough to draw me in. I want it to happen for the stories that will come out of a game like that. I can only imagine what it would mean to the community after all these years.
But what if….
Despite a criminal offense from ESPN in scheduling this game as a noon kickoff (11AM local time in Starkville), this game should have all the fireworks of a night game. And it will be fun to watch a game of this magnitude on a campus that doesn’t have the opportunity to play host in front of a national audience week-in-week-out. When the big boys come to town in Starkville, fans have typically hoped to see their boys put up a fight. And the boys don’t get too much bigger than the Crimson Tide.
Kamario Taylor has changed the attitude for Bulldogs fans heading into this matchup. They don’t want to just compete or avoid embarrassment. They believe, and maybe rightfully so, that they can win this game on the back of Taylor. Even in their modern height (including a national #1 ranking) during the 2014 season, the Dak Prescott-led Bulldogs couldn’t quite get the win they so desperately wanted over Bama. If they could pull it off on Saturday afternoon, there would be thoughts of postseason success. “Playoffs” may even be uttered in parking lots and bars post-game. Not even the most delirious Mississippi State alumni could have thought any of that possible a couple of years ago.
Mississippi State has little success historically against the elite programs in its own conference and rarely gets the opportunity to achieve heights of any kind. If you look at their Wikipedia page, it says that the “Golden Age” of the program is still considered to be pre-World War II. Yikes. In a college football environment centered around the almighty College Football Playoff, regular season games are becoming commoditized. But you can’t bottle and sell one like this (as much as some other fanbases may be willing to pay for it). A win against Bama in a game like this would make Kamario Taylor a legend in Starkville forever, regardless of whatever success of failures may come after the fact.
Here’s to hoping we see one or two legends made on Saturday.
Cheers.