What the media is saying about No. 4 LSU at No. 7 Alabama

So much is on the line in Saturday night’s matchup between No. 4 LSU and No. 7 Alabama. A potential spot in the College Football Playoff. The upper hand in the SEC West. The edge in the Heisman race.

It’s such a big game that CBS reserves its lone primetime date of the season for this matchup year after year. It’s not quite “The Game of the Century” because neither team is ranked No. 1 and because the Tide has one loss, but it’s pretty darn close.

Here is what a few media outlets are saying about the biggest SEC contest of the week:

1. Leonard Fournette and Derrick Henry are ready to take center stage. They are the two best running backs in the SEC, but they are going up against the top two run defenses in the conference, so the player who makes the bigger difference will have definitely earned it. Both players have so much mutual respect for each other that they told the Associated Press that they probably wouldn’t tackle each other if they had the chance.
2. Alabama owns LSU because crunch time belongs to the Crimson Tide. So says al.com, which is somewhat of an easy stance to take when you consider that Alabama has won four straight in this matchup. But as this article indicates, LSU has had trouble closing out the Tide while Bama has shown that it can come back. We’ll see which team survives Saturday night’s clash.
3. A road crowd and a talented secondary will be tough challenges for the Tigers, according to ESPN. Minkah Fitzpatrick and his teammates in Alabama’s defensive backfield have been outstanding, but LSU has a few things going for it as well. For starters, it has Fournette, an improving quarterback in Brandon Harris and a solid defense. Plus, Les Miles is leading the Tigers, and he knows a thing or two about trick plays and winning on the road.
4. Jacob Coker holds the key to Saturday’s night’s matchup. That’s the opinion of CBS Sports, which points out that Alabama’s QB has actually done better in road/neutral-site games than he has in Tuscaloosa, the site of Saturday night’s game.
5. The futures of a pair of Alabama’s assistants are on the line against LSU. There are a lot of good head coaching jobs open in college football, and Crimson Tide coordinators Kirby Smart and Lane Kiffin could both land one of them, according to Bleacher Report. An Alabama victory Saturday night could go a long way toward determining where both coaches land next season.

Stan Chrapowicki

Stan Chrapowicki is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers SEC football, Alabama and Auburn.