Alabama vs. LSU; Nick Saban vs. Les Miles; Civilization vs. Barbarians

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At 3:30 p.m. EST on Nov. 7, 2009 at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala., the showdown between the two top football programs in the SEC West will finally take place.

It will be Alabama versus LSU, Nick Saban versus Les Miles as civilization is once again attacked by the Barbarians from the swamps in the South.

When these two teams meet this Saturday, it will be reminiscent of when the Romans were attacked by the Barbarians almost 2,000 years ago on the northern borders of the Roman Empire..

The Barbarians were by far more talented, fierce fighters as individuals, they were unorganized as a group and made many strategic mistakes in their battles with the Romans.

Their leaders were inspirational, but they were not military geniuses.

The Romans were well-trained and well-organized and fought as a unit making them a formidable opponent and the most feared army in the world.

It was their leaders and their training that made the Roman Legions such an efficient fighting machine.

Looking at the matchup between Alabama and LSU, I see many similarities between Alabama vs LSU and those epic battles fought between the Romans and Barbarians so many years ago.

Alabama is one of the most well coached college football teams in the country. ESPN has called Alabama the most complete and consistent college football team in the nation

LSU is one of the most talented teams in the country.

LSU has ranked No. 3, 7, 5, 7 in recruiting by Scout over the past four years. That is an average of 5.5, which makes the Tigers one of the most talented teams in the NCAA football.

Nobody has ever called Alabama the most talented team in the nation, but no one has ever called LSU the best coached team in the nation as well.

In watching Alabama play the past two years, it is clear to see that they play to their strengths and hide their weaknesses.

They are well-prepared and very well-coached. Their successes were accomplished as a team and and their failures were as a team as well.

In watching LSU play the past two years, it is plain to see that whatever they have achieved was accomplished by their talented players, and when they have failed, the failure originated with their coaching staff.

If teams take on the personalities of their head coaches, then these two teams are perfect examples.

Saban has transformed the Crimson Tide into a team that has been able to impose its will on other teams. They play consistent, smart football and make very few strategic mistakes.

Les Miles, on the other hand, is a gambler and uses emotion to motivate his teams to play well. He has been know to make coaching decisions that have made experts question his coaching abilities and his team has payed the price for those decisions on several occasions.

If you were to take a look at the way his team played in 2006 when LSU won the National Championship under Miles, and the take a look at his team today, you would see just how much LSU has changed under Miles from the team he inherited from Nick Saban in 2005.

They have gone from a smart, disciplined football team that could impose its will on other teams to a team that plays up and down and uses brute force and speed to overpower teams with shear talent and numbers.

Alabama and LSU are the top two teams in the SEC West, and the outcome of this game will likely determine the Western Division Champion. The winner will play Florida on Dec. 5 in Atlanta and that winner will, in all likelihood, play for the BCS Title in Pasadena, Ca on Jan 5, 2010.

So there is so much at stake for these two teams when they met Saturday.

If LSU loses, it is almost certain that their dreams of another SEC Championship and a possible National Championship will die.

If Alabama loses, they will still have a chance to return to Atlanta, but the Tide will need help from one of LSU's future SEC opponents in order to make that happen. A loss will make a trip to BCS Championship Game in Pasadena almost impossible.

Needless to say, this is the most important game these two teams have ever played against each other and the outcome may not only determine the outcome of the SEC Championship, but the National Championship as well.

Last year, when these two coaches and teams met, there was no doubt about which team had more talent, and yet Alabama somehow came away with the victory.

How else can this be explained, other than to assume that Miles was out coached by Saban in Baton Rouge?

In that case, coaching beat talent.

The question is, will coaching win out over talent again this year when these two teams meet with everything on the line?

The answer will be revealed when the two teams meet this Saturday at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

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