LSU Tigers vs. Alabama Crimson Tide
The Alabama Crimson Tide and LSU Tigers were both among the top-four teams in the initial College Football Playoff rankings released this week and they fittingly will square off inside Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday evening. Les Miles’ No. 2 ranked Tigers led by Heisman Trophy frontrunner Leonard Fournette and quarterback Brandon Harris will look to stay undefeated on the season. Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide, led by Derrick Henry and Jake Coker, will hope to stay in the College Football Playoff picture by avoiding their second SEC loss of the year.
Details for Saturday’s game are below:
Date: Saturday, November 7
Start Time: 8 p.m. ET
Location: Tuscaloosa, AL
Stadium: Bryant-Denny Stadium
TV Info: CBS
Live Stream: CBS Sports SEC Live
Radio: Here
Ticket information: For Alabama Crimson Tide ticket info click here. For LSU Tigers ticket info click here.
Keys to Victory
The storylines for LSU in this game are obviously going to focus on Leonard Fournette, the leading rusher in college football, and his success against the ninth-ranked rushing defense in the nation will be important for the Tigers. However, the more vital areas for LSU in this game are going to be the play of Brandon Harris at quarterback and how their front seven performs against Alabama. After throwing just two touchdowns over his first four games, Harris has seven touchdown passes over his last three games and has still yet to throw an interception on the season. The Crimson Tide defense is far more vulnerable to the pass than the run, meaning Harris’ ability to make plays and continue to avoid mistakes throwing the ball.
The performance of the LSU front seven in this game plays into the biggest key for Alabama in this game. The offensive line for the Crimson Tide has been inconsistent and injury-plagued for much of the season. While Derrick Henry has found success in spite of that, doing so against the nation’s sixth-ranked run defense of the Tigers is going to be a different story. Moreover, LSU’s run defense could put the onus of the Alabama offense on the shoulders of Jake Coker. Subsequently, how the Alabama offensive line protects Coker could determine the Crimson Tide’s success in this titanic matchup.
Betting Odds
Point Spread: Alabama Crimson Tide -6.5
Moneyline: Alabama Crimson Tide -280, LSU Tigers +240
O/U: 47.5
Prediction
The Crimson Tide are favored by just less than a touchdown in this matchup, but this matchup feels much closer than that. All of the matchups between the two teams and advantages for either side seem to ultimately make it a wash when these two teams are pitted against one another on paper. In that type of situation, I have to go with the team that has the most dangerous weapon in the game and I don’t think there’s any doubt that’s Leonard Fournette and LSU.
Final Score: LSU Tigers: 20, Alabama Crimson Tide: 17