ESPN College GameDay 2015: TV Schedule, Predictions and Location for Week 3

One team conquered Nick Saban and mighty Alabama during the regular season in 2014. That team was traditional underdog Ole Miss, and it will try to make school history Saturday by beating the Crimson Tide two years in a row.

Naturally, ESPN’s traveling pregame show College GameDay will be there to set the stage for the critical SEC West showdown.

Alabama Football shared the news:

Here is everything you need to know about the third edition of the 2015 version of the show.

ESPN College GameDay: Week 3 Info

Date: Saturday, Sept. 19

Time (ET): 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Location: Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Watch: ESPN 

Live Stream: WatchESPN

Preview and Prediction

The Rebels stunned Alabama last year to the tune of 23-17 thanks to a Bo Wallace touchdown pass with less than three minutes remaining. In all, Wallace threw for three scores, but Ole Miss needed a dramatic Senquez Golson interception in the end zone with 37 seconds remaining to clinch the victory.

It was a highlight of a magical regular season for the state of Mississippi that saw both Ole Miss and Mississippi State climb into the top three of the Associated Press poll.

Another Rebels victory this year would mark the first time in school history they beat Alabama in consecutive games.

That will prove much easier said than done, as Jon Solomon of CBS Sports noted. Saban is an astounding 18-2 (9-1 at Alabama and 9-1 at LSU) in his 14-year SEC career in rematch games against a team that beat him the previous season. Only Steve Spurrier and Les Miles have accomplished the feat, and Saban wins those rematches by an average of two touchdowns.

If the Rebels plan on achieving the unthinkable, they must rely on their offense that leads the FBS with 9.3 yards per play and the SEC with 7.8 yards per rush.

They put up 76 points in their season-opening win against Tennessee-Martin and 73 against Fresno State. Fresno State may not be an Ohio State or Alabama, but it made bowl games in 14 of the past 16 years and is far from an early-season cupcake. Still, the Rebels eviscerated the Bulldogs from the opening minutes.

Quarterback Chad Kelly boasts 557 passing yards and six touchdown tosses on the year, and Ole Miss features a balanced rushing attack that has found the end zone nine times behind six different players with more than 70 rushing yards each.

Kelly also has a dangerous receiver corps at his disposal. Laquon Treadwell was largely considered one of the best wide receivers in the nation coming into the year, but he is currently third on the team in yards behind Cody Core (176 receiving yards and two touchdowns) and Quincy Adeboyejo (153 receiving yards and four touchdowns).

The Rebels will need all of their playmakers Saturday because Alabama finished in the top four in the nation in scoring defense in each of the last four years (first in 2012 and 2011). It held Wisconsin’s typically unstoppable rushing attack to a meager 40 yards in the season opener and held Middle Tennessee to 10 total points.

Even with that strong defense, the best way for Alabama to keep the Rebels offense from putting up crooked numbers on the scoreboard is by dictating the tempo with a consistent rushing attack.

Heisman Trophy candidate Derrick Henry is just the man for the job.

He is a bowling ball between the tackles who is difficult to bring down even with multiple defenders. He brings speed in the open field with enough burst to take it the distance on any given play and already has 243 rushing yards and six touchdowns in a mere two games.

Brynn Anderson/Associated Press

He dominated a solid Wisconsin squad to the tune of 147 yards and three touchdowns, mixed in a 56-yard run for good measure and gradually sapped the Badgers’ energy and will in the second half with key conversions as Alabama put the game away.

Zac Ellis of Sports Illustrated thinks the Crimson Tide runner is already the Heisman favorite:

"

Frequent readers of this column might diagnose the Heisman Watchman with amnesia. Yes, just last week I preached the importance of ignoring knee-jerk reactions in the Heisman race. But each Saturday offers a clearer picture of the landscape of college football. And in the Watchman’s eyes, Alabama running back Derrick Henry has already done enough to look like the best player in the country.

"

That is good news for Alabama because Jake Coker hasn’t exactly settled in as the main quarterback in two games. Saban suggested as much, per Michael Casagrande of AL.com:

"

Both guys really need to improve. I think that, offensively, we started to establish an identity I thought against Wisconsin. I don't think we had much of one today, but that not all the quarterback's fault. But there are many things that the quarterbacks can do better and we will certainly focus on trying to have them play better. We will evaluate the situation and do what's best for our team.

"

The fact Saban stressed the need to establish an identity is bad news for the Ole Miss defense because that almost always means pounding the ball on the ground for the Crimson Tide. As long as Coker or Cooper Bateman don’t commit any turnovers, Henry will be more than enough Saturday.

Between the home-field advantage, the strong defense, the rematch factor with Saban and Henry carrying the offensive load, Alabama will enact some revenge on the Rebels. 

Prediction: Alabama 27, Ole Miss 17