College Football Picks: LSU Tigers vs. Alabama Crimson Tide, SEC Betting Preview

The No. 1 LSU Tigers (8-0) and No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide (8-0) will provide Southeastern Conference fans the first-ever regular-season matchup between the top two nationally-ranked teams.

Saturday night's kickoff inside Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, AL, is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. EDT and will be nationally televised on CBS.

Oddsmakers sent out the Crimson Tide as six-point home favorites, but that number has fallen 1.5 points. The total is set at 43.

Let's take a closer look at the numbers from a betting perspective.

LSU: Against-the-Spread Performance

The LSU Tigers have tallied a 6-1 against-the-spread (ATS) record versus lined competition this year, covering the number by an average of 14.9 points in those six wins.

Kentucky's 35-7 loss on Oct. 1 as a 29.5-point road underdog has been the only success story against the LSU machine.

It's important to note that the Tigers were covering that contest until surrendering a four-yard touchdown pass with just 4:22 remaining in the fourth quarter.

LSU held Kentucky to just 155 total yards of offense.

Alabama: Against-the-Spread Performance

The Alabama Crimson Tide are 7-1 ATS on the year and have covered those seven spread victories by an average of 10 points a contest.

North Texas provided the only blemish on their betting resume, dropping a 41-0 decision as 47-point road underdogs on Sept. 17.

Perhaps the Crimson Tide didn't want to show much offensively, facing the Arkansas Razorbacks the following week in an SEC opener, but still finished with a 586-169 edge in total yards.

Following Bye Weeks

LSU entered last year's meeting coming off a bye week and came away with a 24-21 win as 6.5-point home underdogs. The game slipped just underneath the total of 45.5.

The Tigers also crushed the Texas A&M Aggies with extra preparation time during the bowl season as one-point neutral-site favorites inside Cowboys Stadium.

Alabama was also coming in off a bye in their three-point loss to the Tigers. They crushed Michigan State on New Year's Day 49-7, as 7.5-point favorites.

Both teams are 3-1 ATS after bye weeks the last two-plus seasons.

Series Betting Trends

Bettors will be looking for any type of edge before wagering on the biggest college football game of the year up to this point.

LSU seems to hold an advantage in terms of series trends, posting a 5-1-1 ATS mark over their last seven meetings in Tuscaloosa.

The road team also checks in with an 11-3-1 ATS mark.

Professionals have definitely noticed that home-field advantage in the SEC has diminished to a degree this year, but it's important to note that the favorite is 6-2-1 ATS in their last nine meetings overall.

Alabama: Second-Half Dominance

Alabama lost last year's meeting in the fourth quarter, getting outscored by a 14-7 margin.

Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban has been drilling into this team to finish strong during the 2011 campaign, which has resulted in them not allowing a point in the final 30 minutes of their last four games.

That's a dominating statistic—one that can't be ignored when most see both teams as equals.

LSU: Jumping on Opponents

LSU hasn't faced much adversity on the field, overcoming player suspensions rather easily at different points of the year.

The Tigers have been front-runners for most of the year. They've trailed for just six minutes over the entire season. This came during their 40-27 season-opening victory over the Oregon Ducks.

LSU took a 16-13 lead with 44 seconds remaining in the second quarter, and hasn't looked back.

Trench Warfare

The winner of this contest is going to win the battle in the trenches, which is very important if the betting odds remain at the current level.

In 10 SEC games this year with a spread of 4.5 points or less, the team that has out-rushed its opponent is a perfect 10-0 ATS.

If you find out who will win the ground war, you will be collecting from the sports book.

Revenge

Inside my early betting preview of this contest I mentioned the following: 

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At this time, Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban has had five opportunities to gain SEC revenge during his time on campus, scoring spread victories in each one.

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The battle on the sidelines will go a long way in determining the winner of this game, especially with both teams coming off the bye.

Crimson Tide running back Trent Richardson and head coach Nick Saban will be the difference.

Plus, I haven't gone away from favoring Alabama by six points in this contest.

Pick:  Alabama Crimson Tide (-4.5)