No. 14 LSU (6-2, 3-1) will welcome the Alabama Crimson Tide to Tiger Stadium on Saturday night with both programs looking to keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive.
It will be a Top 15 matchup in Baton Rouge with significant postseason implications at stake.
“The loser of this game says bye, adios to the season,” SEC Network’s Paul Finebaum told “SportsCenter.” “Not in the literal sense, but in CFP (College Football Playoff) terms.”
“The loser is going to have three losses. There’s no way to get back in. It’s going to be an SEC Championship game. There’s really not going to be any hope. There are too many schools competing for those at-large bids.
What are the latest forecasts? Can the Tigers pull off the upset at home?
The current buzz on the Top 15 Southeastern Conference clash in Death Valley:
*(All odds according to DraftKings Sportsbook)*
Spread:
– LSU: (+3)
– Alabama: (-3)
Moneyline:
– LSU: (+120)
– Alabama: (-142)
Over/Under: 58
The Alabama Crimson Tide are currently three-point favorites heading into the Week 11 showdown. A line that hovered around 1.5 points a week ago, Vegas continues to lean toward the Tide as favorites on Saturday night.
LSU has received 55% of bets to either take a win outright in a Saturday night upset against the Crimson Tide or to cover the spread in a loss by a field goal or less.
The other 45% of bets entered this week think Alabama will cover the three-point spread and win by a field goal or more.
Looking at the game spread that Vegas has predicted, the Crimson Tide are believed to knock off the Bayou Bengals by a projected score of 31 to 28 in Baton Rouge on Saturday night.
ESPN’s Football Power Index predicts the outcome of every game on the college football standings each week with the latest results for Week 11.
Now, with this weekend’s schedule getting closer, FPI has put together an expert prediction for Saturday night in Death Valley.
The model leans heavily toward the Alabama Crimson Tide with Kalen DeBoer’s club given a 69.8% chance to win the Southeastern Conference clash.
This has given the Tigers a 30.2% chance to pull off the upset at home in a prime-time matchup.
“In total, the Crimson Tide appeared in 13,960 of the index’s calculations of the game, while the Tigers edged Bama in the other 6,040 predictions. Alabama is expected to be 7.6 points better than LSU on the same field in both teams’ current lineups, according to the model’s latest forecast.”
It’s important to note that Brian Kelly has yet to lose a night game in Baton Rouge to this point, but ESPN’s Football Power Index continues to lean heavily against the Crimson Tide to ruin his hot streak.
CBS Analyst’s Pick: LSU Tigers vs. Alabama Crimson Tide
Aaron Taylor: Alabama
“I like Alabama in this game a little bit more,” Taylor said. “They’re coming off their best rushing game of the season,” Taylor said.
Part of his lack of faith in the Bayou Bengals is largely due to LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier’s ineffectiveness against Texas A&M in the second half.
“It’s hard for me to get Nussmeier’s play in the last game (against Texas A&M) out of me.”
Rick Neuheisel: Alabama
Neuheisel agreed with Taylor’s thoughts about Nussmeier’s ineffective play; to pair that with LSU’s lack of a rushing attack through eight games of the 2024 season.
“When you factor in LSU not being able to run the football, they’re last in the SEC in running the football, and that puts extra pressure on Garrett Nussmeier.”
Randy Cross and Brian Jones: LSU
The pair of CBS analysts have logged predictions for the LSU Tigers to enter Death Valley as underdogs and pick up a win over the Crimson Tide.
LSU head coach Brian Kelly is 13-0 in night games at Tiger Stadium. Now he will put his undefeated streak to the test against Jalen Milroe and the Tide.
Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt has logged his prediction for Saturday night in Baton Rouge.
Alabama remains a 2.5-point favorite, according to DraftKing’s Sportsbook, with Klatt also favoring the Crimson Tide.
“Remember, ‘Bama has the win over Georgia. And in this case, I would like them to win, on the night, at LSU. So, they’re in. “They’re absolutely in,” Klatt said of Alabama’s College Football Playoff chances.
The Crimson Tide, like LSU, will be off in Week 10 before next Saturday’s clash, but will certainly have all the momentum heading into Nov. 9.
Coming off a 34-0 victory in their last matchup against Missouri, Alabama is clicking on all cylinders heading into next weekend.
“It was a big bounce-back win for Alabama last Saturday, even though it was against a Missouri team that has been overrated since the start of the season. Alabama’s defense played incredibly well after a few weeks of underwhelming play,” Klatt said.
“I’m not sure how much to take from that game because I don’t think Missouri is very good. But when you go 34-0 against an SEC opponent, it should mean something.”
No. 14 LSU and No. 11 Alabama will tip off at 6:30 pm CT on ABC in a battle to stay alive in the College Football Playoff race.
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