College Football
This is the Moment
College football doesn’t get any better than this. LSU versus Alabama. David versus Goliath. Primetime TV on Saturday night. The Crimson Tide rolls into Death Valley with the season on the line for both teams. This titanic struggle will remove one team from the college playoff picture. Alabama has beaten everyone put before them, good, bad or indifferent. LSU has beaten nearly one every save for a road loss in “The Swamp.” There are few that think that Alabama is not invincible and even fewer who believe the Tigers can knock off Alabama. Thus the scenario for Saturday night is a winner take all showdown for the SEC West title and a playoff berth as one of the four best teams in the nation. Tigers fans are ready. Bring on Alabama.
Alabama Has Yet to be Tested
The boys from Tuscaloosa have beaten everyone on their schedule and yet they have not really beaten anyone. LSU will be the first true defense Alabama has faced all season. Don’t tell me that A&M had a defense because they didn’t. When your offense can put up more yards against your opponent and control the clock but not the scoreboard, you have no defense. When your conference opponents are a combined 3-16, you haven’t played against a top ranked defense. When your offense averages 53.0 points per game through 8 games, it’s pretty telling how weak your opposition has been.
LSU is Battle Tested and Battle Proven
The LSU Tigers have been playing statement games nearly every week of the 2018 campaign. They trounced Miami in the opening week. Took down Auburn at home. Dismantled Georgia in Baton Rouge. Dethroned Mississippi State. The only blemish, a one score loss to Florida on the road. Each SEC opponent save Florida was ranked and lost to LSU, not to mention and they have a combined conference record of 13-9. LSU has gotten better each week. Strength of schedule is on the side of the Tigers. Bring on Alabama.
Alabama Offense Meets the LSU Defense
Football fans are about to find out how good Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa really is when he faces the LSU defense. Impressive as his numbers (25 TD’s 0 interceptions, 70.4 completion rate) are, he has not faced a top 50 let alone a top ten defense all season. This is not to say he is a patsy, after all everyone knows what he did during last year’s title game. And yet there aren’t many who put a lot of stock in his numbers because of whom Alabama has played.
The 28th ranked defense in the country is the best Alabama will face all season. Led by Greedy Williams and Grant Delpit, they feature nation-leading 14 interceptions and 19 turnovers. They have allowed an average of just 15.1 points per game. Tagovailoa has not faced the pressure that has been the Tigers front seven since the Georgia came. Bring on Tagovailoa and bring on Alabama.
LSU Offense Meets the Bama Defense
For all the gaudy numbers his Alabama counterpart has amassed through eight weeks, it has been LSU quarterback Joe Burrow who has produced when it counted the most. Criticize the Tigers for not pouring on the offense against lesser foes but do not underestimate the value this signal caller brings to the line. Burrow has made one heady decision after another. Just ask Auburn. He has taken over the game when needed. Just ask Georgia. He has the arm, the legs and mental toughness to beat the Crimson Tide. Alabama’s defense may look good on paper and have five star recruits and potential NFL players but they have not faced a quarterback who makes the right play when the game is on the line.
The Final Whistle
All season long, LSU has been picked to lose. First it was said you can’t beat Miami. Wrong. Then came the word that the Tigers could not beat Auburn in Auburn. Wrong. Georgia was the next team up that they could not beat. Wrong. Finally it was Mississippi State and its potent offense. LSU surrendered all of three points. Against Florida, they said it was a real test and it was but in the Swamp against all odds, LSU came within a score of taking down the Gators.
The Tigers have taken on all comers and answered every call with the sixth strongest strength of schedule in the country. Alabama’s strength of schedule is 68th. The Crimson Tide has beaten all comers and put a perfect season on the line against the best team in the nation playing at home at night. No one, not even Alabama, has a better night time win percentage than LSU.
The Alabama game may be the test of the season for LSU but make no mistake: the Tigers are the test of the season for the red and white from Tuscaloosa. Bring on Alabama but give me the tested and proven commodity in 2018. LSU 36 Alabama 28
Photo credit: The Crimson White
