Game Preview: 7-1 Alabama Crimson Tide vs. 4-4 LSU
Nov. 6 – 6:00 PM CST – Bryant-Denny Stadium
Major Broadcast: ESPN with Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit and Holly Rowe
Weather Forecast: At kickoff, a temperature of 57 degrees, clear, with light winds. Before the game ends the temperature will drop into the 40s.
It will not be a normal, every other year, early November Saturday in Tuscaloosa. A packed Bryant-Denny will not see much purple and gold in the stands. Only family members of LSU players and coaches and the most rowdy (and delusional) LSU fans will make the trip. Alabama Crimson Tide fans, who normally recoup a chunk of the cost of season ticket packages by selling LSU tickets, faced a buyers market.
How small will the LSU crowd be? Let’s just say no car will have to slow down for traffic on I-59 from Meridian, MS to Tuscaloosa. That section of interstate will be almost as empty as the main street of Boligee, AL.
Alabama Crimson Tide fans feel no sympathy for the plight of LSU. Nick Saban said earlier in the week that revenge was not a good motivational tool. More than a few of his players will pay no heed to that particular opinion. Revenge is also on the minds of most Alabama fans, who hope Saban will show no mercy to Coach O.
According to WynnBET the point spread for the game is 28.5 points. Use your own judgment when betting, but how 28.5 points has managed to equalize the betting is undecipherable. Five touchdowns to however much Nick Saban lets the Alabama Crimson Tide score should be the margin.
How bad are the 4-4 Bengal Tigers? First, defensively they are seriously depleted. Add to that a lame-duck coach, who everyone in Baton Rouge wanted gone 10 days ago, and who was kept around to end the season because no assistant was deemed up to the task of being an interim head coach. Also, the offense is directed by a first-season play-caller, who may become a great coach, but not while he learns on the job this season.
The Alabama Crimson Tide is not so much playing LSU Saturday night, as it is playing to show the best version of itself. Now that November has arrived, Nick Saban is looking for more complete performances on both sides of the ball. The chances are high that a more complete Alabama Crimson Tide will be showcased Saturday night.
We’ve been discussing the game all week. We asked, is it possible Alabama could score on every possession. We made seven BOLD predictions on the game. We might not have used the revenge word, but avenging the 2019 loss was on our minds. Dive into the three stories and see why a huge win is predicted.
One more morsel of data is added for consideration. Against Mississippi State, Auburn and Ole Miss, the Bengal Tigers rushed for 2.3 average yards per rush (MSU), 1.3 yards (AU) and 2.2 yards (Ole Miss). Auburn has a strong rush defense and State is also good, while Ole Miss is weak. The LSU, counter-heavy, rushing attack is going to get stuffed in Tuscaloosa.
The Alabama Crimson Tide win streak over LSU was broken in 2019. But after Saturday night, the Tide will have won 10 of the last 11 games against LSU – with no end in sight.