Nov 16, 2013; Starkville, MS, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide running back Kenyan Drake (17) advances the ball and is tackled by Mississippi State Bulldogs defensive back Kendrick Market (26) during the game at Davis Wade Stadium. Alabama Crimson Tide defeat the Mississippi State Bulldogs with a score of 20-7. Mandatory Credit: Spruce Derden-USA TODAY Sports

#1 Mississippi State has been declared an underdog by Las Vegas. The oddsmakers have opened up the betting lines with Alabama as a 6.5 point favorite for this big time SEC West match-up that has major division, conference and national implications.

Despite a 9-0 record, this isn’t the first time the Bulldogs have opened as underdogs this year. LSU, Texas A&M and Auburn were all favored over MSU. The line for the Texas A&M game did move from -1 Aggies to -1 Bulldogs by the end of the week, however, while LSU and Auburn remained favorites until kickoff.

Alabama is Las Vegas’ favorite team as they rank them as #1. You could argue this game is #1 vs. #1: résumé vs. perception. It’s going to be a wild week and should be a great game.

Alabama has dominated Mississippi State during the Nick Saban era, winning the last six games by an average of 22 points (25 points in Tuscaloosa). State has beaten Nick Saban, however. The win came during his first year, 2007, by a score of 17-12. An electrifying interception return by Anthony Johnson just before halftime propelled the Bulldogs to a huge win that made them bowl-eligible for the first time in seven years. Be sure to listen to this audio clip of Jack Cristil calling the final seconds of that win via SixPackSpeak.com.

“The Battle of Highway 82” has been a series of streaks you might say. Currently Alabama has won six in a row after MSU won two in a row. Prior to that it was Bama with five straight. The teams swapped wins in 1999 and 2000 after State won three consecutive games from 1996-98. That ’96 win broke a streak of 15 by the Tide after MSU’s historic 1980 win over #1, defending two-time national champion Alabama. That win broke a streak of 22 won by Alabama. Mississippi State won 3 of 4 from 1954-57, two in a row in 1940 and 1941 and three in a row from 1912-14; but most of the games in between have been won by Alabama who holds a 77-18-3 lead in the series.