Keelon Russell had another big day with his arm and his legs, the defense forced four turnovers, and the Alabama Crimson Tide rolled to a 56-23 win over the Mississippi State Bulldogs in a top-25 clash at Davis Wade Stadium in Week 5 of the 2026 college football season.
Russell threw three touchdown passes and ran for another as Alabama (5-0 overall, 3-0 SEC) scored its season-high 56 points. The Crimson Tide have put up 45 points or more in each of their first five games.
Russell completed 16 of his 22 passes for 285 yards. He added a 17-yard touchdown run on the first play of the second quarter. By the second half, the Crimson Tide had turned the game into a rout of a previously unbeaten Mississippi State (4-1, 2-1) team that entered Week 5 with
its highest ranking in the polls since 2016.
Freshman running back Trae'shawn Brown had two touchdown runs, Rico Scott caught a pair of touchdown passes in the red zone, and cornerback Dijon Lee had Alabama's fourth interception return of the season when he picked off rising Bulldogs star Kamario Taylor and raced 30 yards to the end zone.
Alabama never trailed Saturday, and only twice did the Crimson Tide lead by less than two scores after going up 14-0 early. Alabama committed two turnovers and had 10 penalties, but it was nevertheless a strong performance by coach Kalen DeBoer's team. The Crimson Tide are off to their best start in DeBoer's three seasons in Tuscaloosa.
Now comes the hard part. Next on the schedule for the Tide is another highly anticipated clash with the Georgia Bulldogs. Kickoff for Alabama-Georgia is set for 6:30 p.m. CT in Week 6. The game can be seen on ABC.
In the meantime, here's where the Crimson Tide are ranked in Sunday's new US LBM Coaches Poll.
Social media reacts to Alabama's impressive win vs. Mississippi State
— Roll Tide Wire (@RollTideWire) October 3, 2026
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Did Alabama football rise in new Coaches Poll after 33-point win at Mississippi State?
Alabama is ranked No. 7 in the Week 5 US LBM Coaches Poll, the same spot as last week. The Crimson Tide are ranked one spot below the Ohio State Buckeyes and are one spot ahead of the BYU Cougars.
Alabama is the third highest-ranked SEC team behind top-ranked No. 1 Texas and No. 2 Georgia.
Too bad, so sad: Big Ten teams fall out of new Coaches Poll top 25, 10th SEC team enters rankings
With only previously eighth-ranked Florida falling among teams that entered Week 5 ranked in the top-10, most of the top spots look the same as last week. The top seven teams remain unchanged from Week 5.
Florida fell seven spots to No. 15 after a 45-17 loss to the Missouri Tigers at Faurot Field. For all the grousing about Missouri being ranked at all, the Tigers pummeled the Gators to move up nine spots in this week's poll. Missouri had the biggest rise of any team in the Week 6 rankings.
Further down the poll, two Big Ten teams fell out of the rankings: Michigan and Penn State. The Wolverines fell, 20-14, at Minnesota while the Nittany Lions suffered a 34-13 blowout loss to Northwestern at the new Ryan Field.
Kentucky became the 10th SEC team to enter the top 25 after a 35-34 win in overtime at South Carolina.
Here's a look at the full top 25 rankings in the US LBM Coaches Poll heading into Week 6.
Schools Dropped Out
No. 22 Penn State; No. 24 Michigan;
Others Receiving Votes
Oklahoma State 187; Boise State 161; Nebraska 117; Wake Forest 87; Northwestern 70; Wisconsin 47; James Madison 42; Minnesota 40; North Dakota State 29; Arizona 15; New Mexico 7; Baylor 3; Virginia Tech 1; Texas A&M 1; Kansas State 1;
What Mississippi State coach Jeff Lebby said about Alabama after loss
— Roll Tide Wire (@RollTideWire) October 4, 2026
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Alabama football schedule 2026
All times Central.
- Sept. 5: vs. East Carolina Pirates (W, 48-10)
- Sept. 12: at Kentucky Wildcats (W, 45-17)
- Sept. 19: vs. Florida State Seminoles (W, 50-36)
- Sept. 26: vs. South Carolina Gamecocks (W, 49-18)
- Oct. 3: at Mississippi State Bulldogs (W, 56-23)
- Oct. 10: vs. Georgia Bulldogs, 6:30 p.m., ABC
- Oct. 17: at Tennessee Volunteers, TBA
- Oct. 24: vs. Texas A&M Aggies, TBA
- Nov. 7: at LSU Tigers, TBA
- Nov. 14: at Vanderbilt Commodores, TBA
- Nov. 21: vs. Chattanooga Mocs, 1 p.m., SEC Network+
- Nov. 28: vs. Auburn Tigers, TBA
Record: 5-0, 3-0 SEC.
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This article originally appeared on Roll Tide Wire: Where Alabama football ranks in US LBM Coaches Poll after blowout win at Mississippi State
