LSU at Alabama Odds

Written by Jack Jones

In the game of the year so far in college football, the top-ranked LSU Tigers visit the No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide Saturday. This game not only has the SEC Championship at stake, but also national title implications for both teams as well. Each squad is coming off a bye, so coaching could be the deciding factor as Nick Saban and Les Miles both have an extra week to prepare. LSU beat Alabama 24-21 at home last year, and the Tigers have now won six of the last eight meetings in this SEC West rivalry.

Early college football lines show us a spread of Alabama -5 over LSU and a total set of 43 points.

Alabama

The Crimson Tide have been making easy work of their opponents this season. Alabama (8-0, 5-0 SEC) has won each game by 16 points or more, and they’ve faced three ranked teams in the process. This will be their toughest test yet, though they have the good fortune of getting to play at home. The Crimson Tide are outscoring opponents 39.6 to 5.4 on average at home this season, which includes a pair of shutouts over Vanderbilt and North Texas.

Alabama is coming off a 37-6 home victory over Tennessee. Shockingly, they were tied 6-6 with the Volunteers at halftime before exploding after intermission. They certainly could have had LSU on their minds coming into the game, but whatever Saban said at halftime certainly worked. A.J. McCarron finished with 284 passing yards and a touchdown, while also rushing for another score. Heisman Trophy candidate Trent Richardson rushed for only 77 yards, but he did have two touchdowns on the day.

The Crimson Tide rank 1st in the country in total defense (180.5 yards/game) and 1st in scoring defense (6.9 points/game) as well. They are 22nd in total offense (457.7 yards/game) and 11th in scoring offense (39.4 points/game). McCarron has been solid at quarterback, completing 67.0 percent of his passes for 1,664 yards with 10 touchdowns to three interceptions. Richardson has rushed for 989 yards and a whopping 17 touchdowns. Marquise Maze leads all receivers with 39 grabs for 482 yards and a score. Eight different receivers have caught touchdown passes from McCarron.

LSU

Given the schedule they have played, the Tigers are certainly worthy of the No. 1 overall ranking. LSU (8-0, 5-0 SEC) has already played five ranked teams, and they’ve made easy work of everyone they have faced this season. Their smallest margin of victory has been 13 points on two separate occasions. They beat then-No. 3 Oregon 40-27 on September 3rd and then-No. 25 Mississippi State 19-6 less than two weeks later. Their eight straight double-digit victories represents a school record.

The Tigers are coming off a 45-10 drubbing of then-No. 20 Auburn last time out. They outgained Auburn 393-248 and forced two turnovers, including an interception by Ron Brooks that was returned 28 yards for a touchdown. Reuben Randle led the way offensively, catching 5 balls for 106 yards and two touchdowns. They won in a blowout despite missing three key players in star cornerback Tyrann Mathieu, leading rusher Spencer Ware and defensive back Tharold Simon. All three were suspended for violating the team’s drug policy, but each is expected to return against Alabama.

LSU ranks 4th in the country in total defense (251.4 yards/game) and 3rd in scoring defense (11.5 points/game). While they are just 80th in total offense (372.1 yards/game), they are an impressive 12th in scoring offense (39.3 points/game). This team has been taking advantage of turnovers, field position and red zone opportunities as well as anyone all season. Jarrett Lee is completing 63.2 percent of his passes for 1,250 yards and 13 touchdowns to one interception. He’s simply not making any mistakes. Ware and Michael Ford have combined for 953 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns. Randle leads all receivers with 33 catches for 638 yards and seven scores.

Betting Trends

The road team is 11-3-1 ATS in the last 15 meetings, and the Tigers are 5-1-1 ATS in their last 7 meetings in Alabama.

LSU is 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games overall, but just 3-12 ATS in their last 15 November games.

Alabama is 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games overall, but only 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games following a bye week.

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