No. 2 Alabama tops No. 17 Mississippi State

STARKVILLE, Miss. -- It wasn't until the postgame press conference that Alabama 's Nick Saban could explain why he was roaming the sidelines with a prominent cut and bruise on his left cheek. Even the Tide's longtime coach couldn't avoid his team's tremendous pass rush. Alabama (No. 2 CFP, No. 3 AP) used a dominant defense -- including nine sacks -- to beat Mississippi State (No. 17 CFP, No. 20 AP) 31-6 on Saturday night at Davis Wade Stadium. Jonathan Allen had a team-high three sacks. He also inadvertently smacked Saban as he was running out onto the field in the first quarter. "He's a tough guy -- he'll be all right," Allen said with a grin. "I asked if he was OK and he said he was good." Mississippi State, on the other hand, didn't fare so well.