They don’t get any bigger than this during the regular season.
No. 5 Alabama (6-2, 4-2 SEC) will visit Death Valley on Saturday afternoon as 5.5-point underdogs against No. 14 LSU (6-2, 3-2), with each team’s season on the line.
The winner of this contest will be in a terrific position to wrap up a spot in the College Football Playoff, while the loser will be on thin ice.
LSU is a 5.5-point home favorite for this classic SEC rivalry game.
Alabama vs. LSU odds, prediction
It’s hard to get a gauge on both of these programs. We know LSU and Alabama are really good, but are they great? Can they realistically count themselves among the best teams in the country?
From where I’m standing, LSU’s body of work certainly suggests it belongs in that conversation.
The Bayou Bengals do have a pair of losses, but both of them came on the road against teams ranked inside the top 10 (Ole Miss and Kentucky) and by a combined nine points.
Outside of those defeats, the Tigers have looked every bit a contender.
Lane Kiffin teams are normally known for their offensive pizzazz, but LSU’s defense is what makes it such a menacing outfit. Only Texas allows fewer yards per play (4.0) than the Bayou Bengals, who excel at using pressure to force offenses into trouble.
LSU leads the nation in sack percentage and is terrific against the run, so it’s quite the task to get the Tigers on their heels.
An elite defense has bided time for Sam Leavitt and the offense, but things have really started to click for the former Arizona State Sun Devil in Baton Rouge
Leavitt has completed 63 of 83 passes for 677 yards and seven touchdowns against zero interceptions in his last two games. He boasts the fourth-best QB Rating in FBS this season.
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Alabama’s offense has had moments of brilliance this season, including last week against Texas A&M, but when the Crimson Tide have had to rumble with the cream of the crop in the SEC, things have looked closer to ordinary.
Considering that Sam Leavitt and the LSU offense have hit their stride, it will likely take an A+ effort from Keelon Russell and Alabama to stick with the Tigers on Saturday
That’s really difficult to do against this snarling defense.
The Play: LSU -5.5 (-110, DraftKings)
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Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.
