The top-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide face their biggest test yet in 2018, heading to Baton Rouge for a date with the third-ranked LSU Tigers.
After nine weeks of the 2018 college football season, the Alabama Crimson Tide rare one of four undefeated teams remaining, and perhaps the most impressive of that group. Having said that, they still haven’t faced the steepest competition on the way to 8-0. In Week 10, however, that changes as they go on the road to face the No. 3 LSU Tigers in Baton Rouge. Death Valley awaits.
Going on the road is never an easy task, but the Tigers themselves present a formidable challenge for Nick Saban’s top-ranked Tide. While sophomore quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has been a revelation this season, he’s faced a string of defenses that are mediocre at best. That’s not the case with LSU, though. This is a top-10 scoring defense in the country and one that has proven to be able to force turnovers, something Tua has yet to do this season with zero interceptions on the year.
The big storyline for Alabama this season with Tagovailoa has been their newfound offensive prowess that complements another predictably stout defense. However, Saturday’s top-3 matchup could show us just how great the offense is. Not only will it be simply the toughest group that the Tide have faced, but it could also be the first time that Tua and his unit will face any kind of adversity. Thus, their response in such a situation could be massive.
Meanwhile, what has really boosted LSU to this point in the season has been newfound offensive success of their own. While Joe Burrow hasn’t been playing lights-out like Tagovailoa, he’s provided some playmaking and, most importantly, stability at quarterback. With a strong run game still and playmakers on the outside, that has given the Tigers more punch with the ball than they’ve had in many recent years.
Thus, this might be the most evenly matched Alabama-LSU contest that we’ve seen in some time. And with the SEC West and College Football Playoff implications at play, this is a can’t-miss matchup on Saturday night. So let’s look at what you need to know about this game.
Game Info
Date: Saturday, Nov. 3, 2018
Start Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
Location: Baton Rouge, LA
Stadium: Tiger Stadium
TV Info: CBS
Live Stream: CBS All-Access, FuboTV
Put simply, LSU isn’t getting a lot of respect from the oddsmakers in this game. Having an undefeated Bama team be favored on the road isn’t much of a slight, but making them two-touchdown favorites most certainly is. If you’re Ed Orgeron, you have to be playing the “Nobody believes in us” card in the locker room with things like that before them.
Betting Odds (via Odds Shark)
Point Spread: Alabama -14
Moneyline: Alabama -550, LSU +375
Over/Under: 53
Prediction
As stated previously and by many others, this is the first time this season that Alabama will be tested. Particularly in the case of Tagovailoa, I think we see some cracks in the armor of the Tide with the LSU defense bringing them to light. While that may be so, the end result will still go to the better team. And despite a soft schedule up to this point, that’s still the Crimson Tide on both sides of the ball.
They’ll be pushed further than they have yet in 2018, but will emerge with a still unblemished record.
Final Score: Alabama Crimson Tide 24, LSU Tigers 13