LSU is No. 1; Oklahoma is No. 4.

LSU is 13-0; Oklahoma is 12-1.

LSU won the SEC; OU won the Big XII.

Joe Burrow won the Heisman; Jalen Hurts was runner-up.

LSU could be missing a key starter (RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire).

OU will be missing 2 key starters (suspended DE Ronnie Perkins and injured S Delarrin Turner-Yell).

Both teams are very good, both have accomplished a great deal and both have a lot in common heading into their Playoff semifinal in the Peach Bowl on Saturday.

LSU has the better of 2 very good résumés and oddsmakers are favoring it by nearly 2 touchdowns.

Here are 5 reasons LSU will beat Oklahoma and advance to the National Championship Game:

1. LSU will win turnover battle

Turnovers are always a potential equalizer. If OU comes out ahead in turnovers, it could win. But if turnovers are a wash, that favors LSU. The Tigers probably could withstand a minus-1 ratio, but not the Sooners.

Both teams are good at protecting the ball and taking it way.

But Hurts has had a bit of a turnover problem, especially down the stretch. He has only 7 interceptions this season (1 more than Burrow), but has had 1 in 4 of the past 5 games and he has lost 6 fumbles this season.

The wild card in this is if Edwards-Helaire can’t play, that means youngsters (redshirt freshman Chris Curry and true freshmen Tyrion Davis-Price and John Emery II) will be handling the football a lot in a very physical, pressure-packed game.

But the Tigers’ secondary has intercepted 5 passes in the past 2 games, a trend that could well intersect with Hurts’ recent interception trend.

The bottom line is that the team that needs to take the ball away the most is likely to be the one that gives it away the most.

2. Just another top 10 opponent

OK, Oklahoma is very good. The Sooners are one of the best teams LSU has played.

LSU is the best team OU has played.

The Tigers are battle-tested, iron sharpens iron and all that stuff.

LSU is 5-0 against teams that were ranked in the top 10 when it played them. OU is 1-0.

The Sooners won 4 other games against Top 25 teams, but the Tigers have played the tougher schedule and rolled to an undefeated record. The Sooners lost to an unranked Kansas State team.

Ed Orgeron has won 6 consecutive games against top 10 teams and 9 of his past 10.

This matchup is a step up for OU.

It’s old hat for LSU.

3. Joe Burrow is Joe Burrow

Hurts is very good. He’s had a very good season. Heisman voters determined that he has had the 2nd-best season of all college football players.

But Burrow has been better. He won the Heisman Trophy by a record margin. He has been a difference-maker all season and gives the Tigers the edge once again, even against a fellow QB as good as Hurts and a team as good as Oklahoma.

Every time Texas challenged LSU, Burrow answered. The same thing happened against Florida, Auburn and Alabama. Vanderbilt and Ole Miss tried to keep up and Burrow lapped them.

Georgia never had a chance.

Hurts might hang with Burrow longer than anyone.

But Burrow has always had one more touchdown drive in him whenever his team has needed one.

That’s not going to change here.

4. The LSU defense is peaking

The Tigers’ defense has been inconsistent. At times it has really looked bad. At times it has looked really good. Most of the time it has looked good enough but shaky.

Lately, it has looked its best and better each week.

In the past 3 games, LSU has allowed total of 37 points.

In those games, it has allowed 3 1st-quarter points, 9 1st-half points, 0 1st-half touchdowns.

Hurts and the Sooners probably can exceed all of that, but if it isn’t a whole lot better than that, it’s going to have a hard time keeping pace with Burrow and the Tigers’ offense.

LSU has allowed an average of 253 yards in those past 3 games.

And that brings us to …

5. LSU is the more complete team

OU has one win by more than a touchdown since mid-October. Included in that time frame is the loss to Kansas State.

During that same span, the Tigers have won seven games by an average margin of more than 3 touchdowns.

We’ve heard a lot about eye tests this season. When you compare two teams with similar résumés, which one looks like the better team?

OU is good. Very good.

LSU is better.