All eyes will be on Tuscaloosa this Saturday afternoon when the No. 3 Alabama Crimson Tide host the No. 2 LSU Tigers in the most anticipated game of the college football season. The winner of this game will likely be the No. 1 team in next week\u2019s College Football Playoff rankings, while the loser will still be in contention to make the CFP despite the defeat. It\u2019s not quite an elimination game because of that, but the stakes are massive nonetheless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Crimson Tide\nwere originally -7 per the college\nfootball betting odds<\/a>, but that line has since come\ndown slightly. However, the most eye-popping number is the total.\nOddsmakers set the total for this game at 65, highlighting how\nAlabama and LSU are led by their offenses more than their defenses\nthis season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Alabama has won the\nlast eight meetings in this series, and most of these games have been\nblowouts. The Crimson Tide have won four straight games by double\ndigits, and LSU hasn\u2019t scored more than 24 points against Alabama\nsince 2007. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n Joe Burrow is the\ncurrent\nfavorite to win the Heisman Trophy<\/a>, and the LSU\nquarterback is out to leave no doubt that the Tigers are the best\nteam in the nation. Burrow\u2019s development from his junior year to\nhis senior year has been nothing short of remarkable. With the help\nof new passing game coordinator Joe Brady, Burrow\u2019s numbers have\njumped drastically. He has already set LSU\u2019s single season record\nfor passing touchdowns, single game record for passing touchdowns,\nand he is less than 500 yards away from setting the Tigers\u2019 single\nseason record for passing yards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Burrow could also\nset the NCAA single season completion percentage record. Colt McCoy\ncompleted 76.7 percent of his passes with Texas in 2008, and Burrow\nhas completed 78.8 percent of his passes this year. LSU\u2019s passing\ngame is more dangerous than ever, giving them a real chance to beat\nAlabama.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Tigers might\nhave success running the ball against the Crimson Tide for the first\ntime this decade. Leonard Fournette, Derrius Guice, and Jeremy Hill\ncouldn\u2019t accomplish much against Alabama, but the Crimson Tide have\nseen injuries ravage their front seven. This is the most vulnerable\nAlabama\u2019s run defense has been this decade, and Clyde\nEdwards-Helaire could have a banner day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Alabama does have an\nexcellent secondary, so the match-up between Burrow and these\ndefensive backs will be something to behold. Nick Saban\u2019s specialty\nhas always been his ability to coach defensive backs, and he takes\ngreat pride in this unit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tua Tagovailoa is\nexpected to start on Saturday for the Crimson Tide. Alabama\u2019s star\nquarterback has been the best passer the Crimson Tide have had under\nSaban, and his impact on this team is huge. Tagovailoa suffered a\nhigh ankle sprain in Alabama\u2019s win over Tennessee in the third week\nof October, and that kept him out of this team\u2019s game against\nArkansas two weeks ago. The Crimson Tide had no problem covering the\nCFB\nbetting odds<\/a> in that game though, beating the\nRazorbacks 48-7.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mac Jones doesn\u2019t\nprovide the same threat as Tagovailoa as either a runner or a passer,\nand there was little doubt that Tagovailoa would be named the starter\nprovided he was healthy enough. Now, the question is just how healthy\nTagovailoa will be on Saturday. He is unlikely to be as effective as\na rusher, but he can still be deadly through the air.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tagovailoa is on\npace to be the third-most accurate quarterback in NCAA history this\nseason, and he has three amazing talents at wide receiver. Jerry\nJeudy and Henry Ruggs III are both projected to be first round picks,\nbut DeVonta Smith is leading Alabama in receiving yards. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n LSU does not have\nthe same quality on defense it did in seasons past. The Bayou Bengals\ncan be run on, and there\u2019s only one Grant Delpit in the secondary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The highest scoring game between these two teams in the last decade was a 38-17 Alabama win in 2013. This game will have even more points, but I see LSU pulling off the upset in exciting fashion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Get the latest college football odds and information–follow BetOnline.ag on Twitter<\/a>!<\/p>\n\n\n\nRECENT HISTORY<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
WHEN LSU HAS THE BALL<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
WHEN ALABAMA HAS THE BALL<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
PREDICTION<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n