LSU is the No. 1 team in the BCS standings and will put that distinction to the test in traveling to Tuscaloosa to take on Alabama inside Bryant-Denny Stadium Saturday night.
Both teams have won all of their games this year by double figures, while the Tigers are 8-0 for the first time since the 1973 campaign. The program has simply dominated foes, not trailing in any contest since the second quarter of a 40-27 season-opening win over the Oregon Ducks inside Cowboys Stadium.
Tigers head coach Les Miles will use both of his quarterbacks this weekend, starting off with Jarrett Lee, who has earned the No. 1 spot on the depth chart after Jordan Jefferson was suspended earlier in the year due to an off-campus fight.
Lee has completed 63.2 percent of his passes for 1,250 yards, while throwing 13 touchdowns and just a single interception. Jefferson has gained 111 rushing yards and thrown for 123 and a pair of scores in limited action.
It’s definitely a luxury to have such depth at a key position, especially when the duo are the only signal-callers in the SEC who have each thrown for at least 30 touchdown passes in their careers.
Ball security figures to be a main angle when handicapping such an evenly matched contest, with LSU going the entire month of October without turning the ball over to its opponent. Miles has won 17 straight games when winning the battle.
The Tigers are also a dominating force under the lights, coming in on a 16-game winning streak at night, including six wins on the road.
Bettors will find that the Tigers are just an even 3-3 ATS as a road underdog of 3.5 to 7 points the last two-plus campaigns, while the ‘over’ is 4-3 in their contests this year.
Alabama will get to host the first-ever regular-season matchup in the Southeastern Conference between the top two teams in the country. The Crimson Tide are coming off a bye week just like their opponents.
This will be the 75th meeting in the series, with Alabama coming in with a 45-24-5 advantage, seeking revenge for a 24-21 loss in last year’s contest as 6.5-point road favorites.
Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban has made it a point since the offseason that the squad must finish opponents in the fourth quarter, which has definitely worked, not allowing a second-half point in the last four games.
Alabama is currently leading the SEC in total offense and total defense, averaging 457.6 yards per game, while limiting opponents to just 180.5. The team has won its last nine games dating back to last year by 16 or more points.
Running back Trent Richardson is a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidates leads all conference runners in averaging 123.6 yards per game. If the line creeps back down to 4.5 points or lower—keep this trend in mind.
In 10 SEC games this year with betting odds of 4.5 points or less, the team that has won the rushing battle has covered each contest.
The favorite is 6-2-1 ATS in the last nine meetings, while the ‘over’ has cashed in four of the last five in the series.
College Football Picks Week 10: LSU Tigers vs Alabama Crimson Tide
Posted by Jeff Grant on Nov 1, 2011 03:10:07 pm
