by CollegeFootballNews.com

Wasted potential

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Jevan Snead needs to transfer ... now. Again.

Snead started out his career wanting to go to Florida, but changed his mind once No. 15 signed on. The young QB then chose Texas, before leaving after No. 12 became a burgeoning Longhorn legend. Snead ended up at Ole Miss and seemed ready to become a special player who could give the Rebel attack instant credibility.

But after this 11-of-34, 140-yard, four-interception debacle against Alabama, he has regressed as quickly and shockingly as any NFL quarterback prospect has in recent memory.

Snead was being considered in some NFL scouting circles as a possible top 15 draft pick, and possibly No. 1 overall. But after a disastrous start — with seven picks in the last two games and nine on the year (to balance out the nine touchdown passes) — and with the inconsistency and the problems moving the offense, it's tough to know what to think.

He's 6-3, 215 pounds, throws an out pattern that Colt McCoy and Tim Tebow can only dream of and he's mobile. He has all the tools and all raw talent, but he needs coaching — and lots of it.

Considering he was a second option at both Florida and Texas, there has to be some concern that he doesn't have the make-up to be a No. 1 guy. If he really is a top-shelf NFL talent, he should be making his mediocre offense sing, sort of like Eli Manning did for the Rebels.

But Snead doesn't have a David Cutcliffe to tutor him and he seems to be getting worse, not better.

Alabama's defense will do this to a lot of quarterbacks, but Snead needs to improve dramatically over the next few weeks to not only save the Ole Miss season, but the potential millions the pros want to give him.

— Pete Fiutak

Imitating Emmitt

Does Alabama RB Mark Ingram wear No. 22 because he grew up an Emmitt Smith fan? It would make sense because he runs an awful lot like a modern-day version of the former Dallas Cowboy star.

Honestly, when I watch Ingram run, the similarities — beyond the number on the jersey — are uncanny. The compact, efficient running style. The toughness between the tackles that belie his modest stature. The quickness to the hole and knack for always moving forward.

At the halfway point of the regular season, Ingram — not WR Julio Jones — has been the MVP of the Alabama offense, if not the entire team.

That was evident again in Oxford, as the sophomore cranked out 175 yards and a touchdown on a day when QB Greg McElroy was off and Ole Miss flashed some Big D of its own.

Although voters are sometimes slow to get up to speed on first-time starters, it's about time for Ingram to begin getting attention for individual honors, such as All-America teams.

He's been that good through the first six games and he's the biggest reason the Tide still has Pasadena in its crosshairs.

— Richard Cirminiello

Pointing fingers

1) Jevan Snead's inability to perform made a difference when the Rebels had what many considered to be their last best shot at a comeback.

Down 16-0 in the third quarter, the Rebels faced a 4th-and-1 at the Bama 7.

In the second quarter, it's a good move to kick a field goal and remove the need for two 2-point conversions.

In the third quarter, however, it's harder for a coach to expect his club to continue to move the ball on a defense as good as Alabama's.

With that thought in mind, Houston Nutt probably should have tried for the first down (and by extension, a touchdown). Yet, Nutt chose the three points in the end.

You can come down hard on the Rebel coach for many reasons, but given the way Snead was playing, it's quite understandable that Nutt didn't want to deal with the prospect of needing a pair of two-point conversions just to tie Alabama — assuming the Tide would have been held scoreless the remainder of the game.

Houston needs to coach his quarterback, but the sideline boss in Oxford can't be blamed for taking three points at a crucial juncture in this battle with Bama.

Jevan Snead didn't give his coach enough reason to trust him.

2) Yes, Jevan Snead is awful.

With that said, walking into Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, in the face of an amped-up crowd and a very good Ole Miss defense, isn't exactly easy.

Heck, Houston had to struggle mightily just to beat Mississippi STATE in Starkville!

Taking care of business — even against an opponent with serious quarterback issues — ranks as an impressive display of mental toughness.

Nick Saban is at the top of his game in Tuscaloosa.

— Matt Zemek

Surveying the polls

So much for all the preseason hype about Mississippi.

The Rebels continued to prove why there should be no preseason polls, putting up little fight against Alabama — at home no less.

That isn't a big slur against Mississippi, because anybody who really paid attention to things knew the Rebs were over-valued in the top 10.

More impressive is an Alabama team that continues to show just how dangerous it is on defense. The Tide stuffed Arkansas last week, and it leveled the Mississippi attack today.

Although Nick Saban will have reason to complain about his offense's inability to close the deal after getting great field position, he can't complain about the way Alabama went on the road and dominated an SEC West rival from the beginning.

There are still plenty of challenges on the Alabama schedule, but all indications are that we'll be watching a reprise of last year's SEC title game in December in Atlanta. And it could well pit a pair of unbeaten teams against each other.

Saban's teams play great defense, but he has weapons in the ground game and at receiver that make the Tide formidable there.

Even on a down day, they still scored 22 points. Mississippi shouldn't be criticized for others' high opinions of it, but the Rebel attack has to get better, no matter who it plays.

Jevan Snead looks tentative and has had trouble hitting even wide-open receivers.

The Rebel defense gets a gold star for its play Saturday, but it needs to find a way to get the fellas on the other side of the ball to produce.

— Michael Bradley