Alabama vs. Ole Miss odds, weather forecast: Will it rain on the Rebels-Crimson Tide?

Published 7:12 am Friday, September 16, 2016

It’s time for Ole Miss vs. Alabama and while it is mid-September its not exactly fall weather outside.

So expect extremely humid and warm conditions Saturday afternoon in Oxford for the Rebels-Crimson Tide tilt and a decent chance of a thunderstorm developing around kickoff.

(You can see the game preview, time and information including odds below).

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But it’s no certainty — clouds may be all we get. The updated forecast just suggests at 50 percent chance of rain between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. central time in Oxford which is about the time the game starts.

Otherwise, cloudy skies Saturday will keep temperatures in the mid-80s, so that’s a good thing.

The rain chance is 60 percent of scattered thunderstorms Saturday afternoon so having a rain jacket handy might be a good idea.

No. 1 Alabama (2-0) at No. 19 Ole Miss (1-1), 2:30 p.m. (CBS)

Odds: Alabama by 11½.

Series Record: Alabama leads 47-11-2.

WHAT’S AT STAKE

The winner will be the favorite to win the SEC’s Western Division. Alabama is trying to avoid losing to Ole Miss for a third straight season. The Rebels beat Alabama 23-17 in 2014 in Oxford and 43-37 in 2015 in Tuscaloosa, which is the first two-game losing streak for the Tide in a series that dates back to 1894.

KEY MATCHUP

Ole Miss QB Chad Kelly vs. Alabama’s defense: Kelly was terrific in the previous meeting, throwing for 341 yards and three touchdowns. The Rebels’ offense will once again revolve around the senior while Alabama will counter with a defense that’s given up 16 points in two games.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Alabama: WR ArDarius Stewart has emerged as the big-play target for freshman QB Jalen Hurts. The 6-foot-1, 204-pound junior has caught nine passes for a team-high 203 yards and three touchdowns.

Mississippi: TE Evan Engram. The 6-foot-3, 235-pound Engram has emerged as Kelly’s favorite target so far this season, catching a team-high 11 passes for 164 yards and a touchdown.

FACTS & FIGURES

Ole Miss is trying to become the first team to beat a Nick Saban-led Alabama program three straight times. The last time Saban lost to a team three straight times was from 1997-99 when his Michigan State team fell to Purdue. … Ole Miss is 10 for 10 in the red zone this season, with all touchdowns. The Rebels lead the SEC with a 62.5 percent third-down conversion rate. … Hurts was the first true freshman to start under center for the Tide since Vince Sutton in 1984. Hurts’ first start came last week against Western Kentucky, and his 287 yards passing were the most for a Tide quarterback in his starting debut. … Alabama has returned an interception from a touchdown in both games this season. It’s the first time that’s happened in consecutive games since 2008.