Ole Miss vs. Alabama: Why the Crimson Tide Are on Upset Alert in Week 7

There are going to be some fireworks on Saturday afternoon in Oxford, Mississippi.

Vaught-Hemingway Stadium at Hollingsworth Field will feature two of the premier teams in college football so far this season. Both sit at 4-0, but Alabama comes in as the No. 3 team in the country. Ole Miss comes in at No. 11.

This game has the potential to equal last year's Auburn upset over Alabama. Auburn was expected to compete, but the Tigers' win crippled the Crimson Tide's season.

The circumstances are a little different in this instance, as it is still relatively early in the season. That said, a win by the Rebels would still be quite a blow to Alabama's season.

Ole Miss safety Cody Prewitt is confident heading into the game, via Brandon Speck of Fox Sports:

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We understand that we haven’t played a team that’s going to be as good as ’Bama. But we don’t really think ’Bama is as good as they have been, and we’re better than we have been. We’re looking forward to getting to the game plan and really nailing down all the tweaks and stuff that we’re going to have to put into ’Bama.

"

Below are a few reasons why the Crimson Tide are on upset alert during Week 7.

Stifling Defense

Brynn Anderson/Associated Press

The Rebels defense is phenomenal. Currently third in the nation in points allowed per game (8.5), Ole Miss has a variety of different players who can make quarterback Blake Sims uncomfortable in the pocket.

Having allowed just three points against Memphis in the previous game, the Rebels are hot on the defensive side of the ball. New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning, an alum of Ole Miss, spoke about the defense last week, via Dan Graziano of ESPN.com: "They [Alabama] have a new quarterback, so you look and say maybe our defense can rattle him a little bit, and then our quarterback's got to play well."

Alabama quarterback Blake Sims has played well overall this year, but his performance against West Virginia was just pedestrian. He was 24-of-33 for 250 yards. He didn't throw a touchdown, but he was picked off.

Ole Miss possesses a much more aggressive, hard-hitting defense. With that being the case, Sims has to be on his game in order for his offense to move the ball down the field.

Of course, he has some help. Amari Cooper has been his favorite weapon in the passing game, and Derrick Henry and T.J. Yeldon are strong rushers to complement the passing game.

But Ole Miss' defense appears strong enough to take down any opponent. Even a 20-point performance against Alabama would be notable—and certainly good enough to win.

Up-Tempo Offense and Mismatches

Rogelio V. Solis/Associated Press

Ole Miss quarterback Bo Wallace has run this up-tempo system for three years now. He has a perfect grasp of how it works and how all the parts need to work together to wreak havoc on defenses.

Because he can run the system so well (despite the fact that he's prone to turnovers at times), he puts players in good positions to succeed. Look for that to happen against Alabama.

Most of Ole Miss' weapons, however, are bound to create mismatches anyway. Alex Scarborough of ESPN.com wrote about those weapons:

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Running back Jaylen Walton is tough to get a hand on, as evidenced by his 6.9 yards per carry coming into this weekend. 

Tight end Evan Engram is a matchup nightmare with the size to overpower defensive backs and the speed to run past linebackers. 

All wide receiver Cody Core seems to do is catch touchdowns. 

Then there’s Laquon Treadwell, arguably one of the top-five receivers in the country. He alone can wreck a secondary. 

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In regard to Laquon Treadwell, Alabama coach Nick Saban is well aware of his ability to dominate defenses. Marquavius Burnett of The Anniston Star tweeted a thought from Saban about the matchup:

The Tide have been the class of college football for several years, but they are more vulnerable now than they have been in quite some time. A balanced program like Ole Miss should be able to take down the Alabama and put an exclamation point next to the biggest win in college football this year.

Follow Kenny DeJohn on Twitter: @KennyDeJohn_BR