Bleacher Report - Articles by Christopher Williams

SEC Spring Game Summary

Christopher Williams — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 20:07:18 -0400

If you have a Bleacher Report article about a SEC school spring game, please add the link to my site or let me know so I can post the link on my site.

The link to my site is as follows: http://bayourant.proboards.com/index.cgi

When football season gets closer I will be looking for people to be the "team leader" and provide live updates on their team, etc. If you would be interested, send me a message or PM me on my site.

Please provide Bleacher Report article links only on my site and hopefully Bayou Rant and Bleacher Report can work together at some point.

I have LSU updates from the Tigers spring game, but any more information is welcomed. Alabama information is what I would like to have ASAP so any Bama fans out there please post any article you have posted.

Also, I want to know what Florida's running game will be looking like in 2009 as well as what is the expectations at Ole Miss.

Again, please provide Bleacher Report links only and if I can do anything to help Bleacher Report I am willing to do so.

Not A Good Time Of Year For a College Football Fan

Christopher Williams — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 20:15:18 -0400

It is the end of March and there is so much going on in the Sports world. The NCAA tournament is still going on, the NBA is getting down to the end of its regular season, Major League baseball will be starting soon, college baseball and softball is in full swing and NASCAR is racing along. There are other sports such as track & field and lacrosse as well, but if you are a football fan you are out of luck.

Most schools are in spring practice and the NFL draft is right around the corner, but this is nothing to get overly excited about. So what does a college football fan discuss? You can always go to my message board and talk about LSU sports and look at youtube videos which include threads with videos of some of the greatest running backs of all time. You can check out my site by clicking the following link http://bayourant.proboards.com/index.cgi

Starting in June, I will write about each Division 1 conference in college football so you can look forward to seeing who I think will win each conference and what teams will break out or bust in 2009. Also, I hope to be able to provide more on my site and by the college football season it will be running as planned.

If anyone wants to post their bleacher report articles there please sign up and do so. At this point, I am using free software to run the board and this is not the end result of my project. In fact this is the first stage and it will look much better in the months ahead so please sign up and start discussing your favorite topic.

Oh and the picture of the cheerleaders has nothing to do with anything other than the fact they are hot.

LSU Tigers and New Orleans Sports: Online Forum at Bayou Rant

Christopher Williams — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 09:21:31 -0400

If you would like another place to discuss LSU sports as well as other topics such as Saints, Hornets, and other sports, come check out my new board. It is called Bayou Rant and you can see it by clicking this link.

http://bayourant.proboards.com/index.cgi

Anyone who wants another source of linking their Bleacher Report article so others can read, please do so on Bayou Rant.

Thank you.

Should the Mountain West Conference get an Automatic Bid to the BCS?

Christopher Williams — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 20:37:55 -0500

The MWC is pushing for an automatic bid to a BCS bowl game. If approved, the MWC will become the ninth conference to receive an automatic bid to the BCS.

You can read more about this at the following link:
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3861079

Do you think the MWC deserves an automatic bid to the BCS?

After this past season, it seems like there should be no question the MWC deserves an automatic bid, but if you look at the conference as a whole, you can argue that the quality of the conference is not BCS-worthy.

After Utah, TCU and BYU, there is not one team that can be taken serious.

Air Force, Colorado State, UNLV, New Mexico, Wyoming, and San Diego State should not be in a conference that gets an automatic bid to the BCS.

If the MWC becomes a BCS Conference, do you see any team besides Utah, TCU or BYU making it to a BCS bowl? I don’t.

Instead of the MWC becoming a BCS Conference, those individual schools should push to be moved to an existing BCS Conference.

Put Utah and BYU in the PAC-10, call it the PAC-12 and then the PAC-10 could adopt a conference structure that would allow them to play a conference championship game.

Throw TCU in the Big 12. Take Arkansas out of the SEC and put them in the Big 12 as well, and the SEC could then replace Arkansas with Southern Miss or South Florida.

What are your thoughts?

You can also check out this blog on Tigerdroppings.com at the URL:

http://www.tigerdroppings.com/blog/display.asp?p=245

My New College Football Blog

Christopher Williams — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 13:45:44 -0500

I will be doing college football blogging on www.tigerdroppings.com. The blogs are not yet on the page; they are still working out kinks, but it will soon be released.

Although it has not been released, some blogs have been set up. Please take a second and visit my blog on tigerdroppings.com, and I welcome any feedback you may have.

You can visit my blog at the following link:

http://www.tigerdroppings.com/blog/index.asp?b=16

A Quick Look at LSU Recruiting 2009

Christopher Williams — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 22:27:34 -0500

With National Signing Day right around the corner, many LSU fans already feel confident the 2009 signing class will be strong. In theory, when a school wins a national championship, it is not until the following season that recruiting benefits from the success.

Take a look at the unofficial commitments the Tigers will likely sign, and it is not hard to believe, in fact, a program does benefit the year after winning a national championship.

Take a look at the list on www.tigerdroppings.com, and you will see who LSU can expect to sign on Signing Day.

Michael Ford, RB Leesville, LA
Josh Downs, DT Bastrop, LA
Michael Brockers, DE Houston, TX
Janzen Jackson, CB Lake Charles, LA
Drayton Calhoun, ATH, Tucker, GA
Russell Shepard, QB, Houston, TX
Chris Garrett, QB, Tupelo, MS
Dexter Pratt, RB, Navasota, TX
Kevin Minter, LB, Suwanee, GA
Chris Faulk, OT, Slidell, LA
Carneal Ainsworth, OG, Baton Rouge, LA
Stavion Lowe, OT, Brownwood, Texas
Josh Williford, OT, Dothan, AL
Chris Davenport, DT, Mansfield, LA
Derek Helton, P, Fort Scott, KS
Kenny Bell, WR, Rayville, LA
Akiem Hicks, DT, Sacramento, CA (JUCO)
Morris Claiborne, DB, Shreveport, LA
Dominique Allen, FB, Paris, TN
Lamin Barrow, LB, Marrero, LA
Craig Loston, S, Aldine, Texas

The one name that stands out is Russell Shepard, and many LSU fans think he will have an instant impact. You can keep up with more of LSU’s recruiting by visiting tigerdroppings' recruiting board, which can be found by clicking here.

Besides a few recruits who have already enrolled in LSU (Russell Shepard, for one) and will begin classes in the Spring semester, there is still time for guys to change their mind. You can keep up with each school by visiting the ESPN link that will take you directly to the recruiting page.

SEC Dominance Caps Another College Football Season

Christopher Williams — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 13:46:33 -0500

My last post was on Dec. 7, 2008, and since then I have been pretty busy. Several of you were probably wondering why I did not take the chance to post about Alabama’s embarrassing loss to Utah, but I figured it was already hard enough for Bama fans to swallow.

Despite South Carolina and Alabama, the SEC proved that it is the dominant conference in College Football. This statement will always create controversy, but the SEC is 5-0 in BCS Championship games, which is all someone needs to know when discussing which conference is better.

Take a look at the record by conference.

SEC: 5-0

Big 12: 2-4

Pac-10: 1-1

ACC, Big East, and Big Ten: 1-2

You can tell me that in any given year this conference had that record and this conference only won this many games, but the fact of it is the only bowl game that matters is the National Championship game.

Don’t get me wrong, bowl games are important for a program, and when a team has a down year, sometimes a bowl game win gives a program momentum heading into the next season, but the only thing people remember in the long run is who won the National Championship. Do you hear fans running around bragging because they won the Independence Bowl?

So what to look for in 2009? Although many of you will think I am being biased, look for LSU to be in the National Championship mix in 2009. Am I going crazy? Well, all the Tigers needed was more definition at the quarterback position and a few corrections on defense, and it appears this is work in progress.

In the future I will do a prediction post for the 2009 season, but the only prediction I will give right now is that the SEC championship in 2009 will be a battle between LSU and Florida. Mark my words.

For those of you who missed me, I am back, but with the season over I don’t have too much to write about. It is also possible I might be writing for another site in 2009, but I will keep everyone updated.

Florida Rolled Over Bama: Are the Sooners Next?

Christopher Williams — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 15:13:00 -0500

When the Florida Gators and the Alabama Crimson Tide played for the SEC Championship yesterday it could have been equivalent to the National Championship game. Both teams are National Championship caliber teams, instead the game decided who would get to go to the BCS Championship game.

The match up was classic and it was one of the better SEC Championship games ever played in Atlanta. The Crimson Tide was up 20-17 going into the 4th quarter but the Gators scored 14 unanswered points to pull off a 31-20 victory.

Alabama was able to make adjustments throughout the game which kept them in it, but Florida had the tools to pull it out in the 4th quarter. Now Florida will likely play the Oklahoma Sooners in the National Championship game.

Although Oklahoma is playing great ball right now, I honestly think Florida and Alabama could be Oklahoma. The Big 12 lacks defense and Alabama would not allow the Sooners to score at will on them, the Gators can score at will and have a good enough defense to stop a team like Oklahoma from score every possession.

Next year Florida will likely be good, but I do not see them in the National Championship. Unfortunately for Bama, they will struggle at the quarterback position and will likely not be in the SEC Championship game next year, but this year I honestly believe both teams are the best two teams in College Football.

Also, I think Oklahoma was lucky to play Missouri in the Big 12 Conference Championship. Obviously the two best teams in the Big 12 is Oklahoma and Texas and Texas didn’t have another chance to prove they are better than Oklahoma.

Something has to be done to assure the National Championship is represented by the two best teams in the nation. It is obvious Florida deserves to be there, but there are four teams who can make the argument they deserve to be there instead of Oklahoma, but this is a topic for another day.

Congratulations to both Florida and Alabama for having a great year and I hope Florida can win a 3rd straight title for the SEC.

SEC Coaching Changes: The Soap Opera of College Football

Christopher Williams — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 20:29:00 -0500

When the 2009 College Football season kicks off, there will be three SEC football teams with new head coaches. Tennessee will be lead by a young Lane Kiffin, who was recently hired by the Vols. Also, there will be a new face leading Auburn and Mississippi State.

Also, LSU is expected to make some changes on the defensive side of the ball. If this change does not happen, LSU will be looking possibly be looking for a new head coach after the 2009 season.

So how will these coaching changes affect the SEC? Starting with Auburn, I am expecting them to look for an offensive minded coach. If I had to put my money on someone it would be Mike Leach from Texas Tech. This will be a perfect hire and if Leach can produce in Auburn in the same style he has done at Texas Tech, it will give Nick Saban’s defense fits. Which will ultimately change the outlook of the recruiting battle in the state of Alabama. Also, it will could impact who LSU will hire as the next defensive coordinator.

Mississippi State will also need to make adjustments in order to compete with Ole Miss in recruiting. There are several names being mentioned, but I think Tommy Tuberville would be the perfect answer to Houston Nutt and the Ole Miss Rebels.

Rumors in the past indicated that Tuberville “stole” some of Houston Nutt's recruits. At some point, several players verbally committed to Arkansas under Nutt but then committed to Auburn. If this has any truth behind it and Tuberville has a one up on Nutt in recruiting, it would completely make all the sense in the world for Mississippi State to hire Tuberville.

These changes would eventually force Les Miles out of LSU if he does not change his style of coaching. Take a look back at 2007, Auburn was the only legit team to be competitive for the West. In 2008, Ole Miss started to emerge while Bama quickly rose to the top. LSU and Auburn were in the middle of the pack leaving Mississippi State and Arkansas at the bottom.

Arkansas will be better next year, and once Bobby Petrino gets offensive linemen in that can pass block, the razorbacks will be just as competitive. Then there is the SEC East.

Don’t be surprised if next year is Urban Meyer’s last season in Florida. It sounds crazy, but right now I am predicting Meyer to be the head coach of Notre Dame in 2010. By this time, Kiffin will have his program established in Tennessee. Georgia is always in contention and you can never count Steve Spurrier out in South Carolina.

Right now it is hard to break down the SEC since two teams are without head coaches. Once Auburn and Mississippi State hire a head coach and LSU makes changes to their staff, I can give a more accurate outlook, but right now it is nothing but one big cluster.

For those of you Auburn and Mississippi State fans, let me know what the word is around your areas. What do you think about the changes?

Taking a Shot at Plaxico Burress

Christopher Williams — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 19:56:00 -0500

By now you have heard about NY Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress and how he shot himself in the thigh on accident in a night club. Now it is time for me to take shots at him as well.

Was he stupid for carrying a gun with him without a permit? Obviously, but this isn’t why he is a complete moron. He is a moron for reaching in his pocket to pull the gun up and grabbing the trigger, which was not a safety lock, and shooting himself in the thigh.

Seriously, this tells me one thing. This tells me that Plaxico Burress does not know how to operate the game he was carrying.

Let's be honest, there are a lot of pro athletes who carry guns with them, some have permits, some don’t; this is just the way it is, but at least have common sense and learn how to operate the gun. If you are carrying it illegally, go out in the woods and shoot cans so you can practice using it.

Me saying this is like talking to a brick wall, because I doubt any pro athletes read my articles, but here it goes anyone.

If you are going to places where you feel you need to be carrying a gun, then maybe you should not be going. Don’t give me this BS about how pro athletes are targets because they are rich and famous. I don’t see Warren Buffet packing because he feels like someone is going to shank him.

What about Bill Gates? I bet he isn’t tearing the club and feeling like someone is going to cap him.

Should Burress go to jail? No, because the only difference between him and many others is the fact he got caught. Sending him to jail will not make any type of statement, people will still carry guns illegally. Burress will probably carry a gun illegally when he gets out of jail; the issue should be stupidity.

Does anyone else agree? What is your take on this?

Florida-Alabama Football: SEC Championship Breakdown

Christopher Williams — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 13:44:00 -0500

On Saturday, the SEC championship game not only has conference pride on the line, it has national championship interest as well.

Simply put, if Florida beats Alabama, they will advance to the National Championship; if Alabama beats Florida, they will go to the big show.

The rankings could possibly change when the BCS comes out later today, but currently Alabama is ranked No. 1 and Florida is ranked No. 4. More than likely, the SEC champion will play either No. 2 Texas or No. 3 Oklahoma, but anything can happen from now until next Saturday.

So who will win the SEC championship? Well I don’t want to make any predictions, but if you look at the match up, Florida has this game won already.

Although Florida is 10-1 while Alabama is 11-0, the numbers speak for themselves. Florida has scored a total of 556 points, which is 181 more than Alabama’s 375.

On defense, Alabama has given up nine fewer points than Florida; the Crimson Tide has only allowed 138 while Florida has allowed 147. Based on the ratio, Florida wins this category.

Alabama’s fifth-year senior quarterback, John Parker Wilson, threw for nine touchdowns this year and five interceptions, which isn’t even close to the numbers Florida’s Heisman Trophy winning quarterback, Tim Tebow, put up this year.

Tebow threw for 25 touchdowns and two interceptions. It should also be pointed out that Florida has a more experienced quarterback on the bench than Alabama so if John Parker Wilson and Tim Tebow both get hurt and the backups are forced to play, Florida will be in better shape.

On the ground, Florida also beats Bama as for as the numbers are concerned. Florida rushed the ball a total of 459 times and gained a total of 2,845 yards, while Bama rushed the ball 492 times gained 2,431 yards. Arguably, the Crimson Tide depends on the running game more than Florida does.

Also, someone can make the argument that Florida played a tougher schedule than Bama, but I don’t want to get into that topic at the moment.

Both teams are playing very well right now, and the obvious pick for this game would be Florida, but if it comes down to coaching and preparing his team for big games, I would have to give the advantage to Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide. Still, Urban Meyer doesn’t do that bad of a job getting his team up for big games either.

Is there anymore to say about this game? Do I need to go into further detail and look at it piece by piece? It will be difficult to make a prediction, because logic tells me the better team on paper is the lower-ranked team, so if I had to make a prediction based of the facts, it would be impossible.

Obviously, the only thing many readers want to read is articles in which the logical pick is picked.

Good luck to both teams and I will be pulling for whatever teams advances into the national championship. Thank you for reading, and if you have a few minutes, please view my blog at www.purplegrowl.com.

Alabama Fans Upset Over My Auburn Pick

Christopher Williams — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 23:01:00 -0500

It appears some Alabama fans took it personally when I picked Auburn to win. Obviously my prediction was incorrect, but it is not being wrong that I am mad about.

It is the fact an Alabama fan took it upon himself to completely blast me picking Auburn to upset Alabama.

You can read the article in which I predicted Auburn to win by clicking the following link.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/85065-alabama-auburn-the-eye-of-the-tiger-has-top-ranked-crimson-tide-in-sight

Before I go on I would like to say this, I have met several Bama fans on Bleacher Report and I think several of them are as good of people as you can come across.

If you read my articles it is easy to assume I dislike Bama. Granted I am a LSU fan, but I am also a fan of College Football, and if anything I respect the passion fans have for the game.

Now let me get back to the Bama fans who do not like my articles because apparently I live in a fairy tale and I do not base anything I write on facts.

The following is from Phillip who is a Bama fan. He posted this on the article I linked above.

You write like a 10 year old talks. "Bet the life savings on it", and "Guarantee LSU beats Bama". You write from the perspective of a fan, a hater. Using logic and FACTS (something you ALWAYS forget), there was absolutely NO reason to think Auburn could possibly win.

They should have lost to Mississippi State (3-2 win), and Tennessee (they had 5 possessions in Vol territory and could not score). They should have been 3-8 going in, and you actually had the nerve to think they could beat a team who had led for 690 minutes and trailed for less than 30 in 12 games?

Again, as I said, your writings are FAIRY TALES, something you WISH could happen, based on ZERO FACTS. I made a 20-point minimum prediction for the Tide win, and was right on again. Reading your ramblings is comic relief, nothing more.

Well, Phillip, I guess if you want facts I should not waste my time writing articles for this site because you can go to ESPN.com and view every stat you want on any team you want.

According to you, the game is played on paper. According to you, there is no reason to play the game because the facts dictate who will win.

Based on your logic, Phillip, Alabama should not even make the trip to Atlanta on Saturday because Florida already won the game.

If you don’t like my style of writing then fine don’t read my articles but don’t call me out and tell me I write like a 10-year-old. Yes I predicted Auburn to win and it didn’t happen but it is funny how you waited until after the game to come here and blast me.

Well pretty boy, based on facts you knew Alabama was going to win but you sure did wait until the game was over.

My advice to you is to not get so upset over other people's opinion and second of all don’t live the rest of your life based on what has happened already.

For some reason, I bet you think Alabama will beat Florida but again I have to tell you that based on your logic it will not happen. You need to take off the Crimson Red & White glasses off. Yes, Alabama is a good team, but you will be disappointed soon.

Thanks for reading my articles, Phillip, and I am sorry you will not be reading anymore of my articles but I guess I am not boring enough for you to enjoy.

Have a great day, cowboy.

Sylvester Croom Resigns: What Does This Mean for the SEC West?

Christopher Williams — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 14:09:00 -0500

According to ESPN, Mississippi State’s head coach Sylvester Croom resigned. You can read more about this by clicking on this link.

Sylvester Croom is a class act, but, unfortunately for him, that does not build programs and win football games.

In five years, Croom only had one winning season and that was in 2007, when the Bulldogs finished 8-4. His overall record as the head coach of MSU is 21-37, but if Croom was forced to resign, he can blame Ole Miss.

Ole Miss was never really a threat to MSU during the Croom Era. As for as recruiting, LSU was the biggest threat to both schools, but now Ole Miss has Houston Nutt and in his first year as the Rebels head coach the Rebels finished 8-4 and second in the West.

If you were a highly-ranked recruit from the state of Mississippi and you were deciding between Ole Miss or Mississippi State, what program do you think would be better for you?

Throw in the fact Nick Saban is able to recruit in the area Ole Miss and Mississippi State target, and you are looking at a Mississippi State program that had an average coach that would likely have a decline in talent over the next few years.

Depending on how Bobby Petrino’s recruiting class finishes, Arkansas will be a much better team in 2009. Then, throw Auburn in the mix and the next few years the SEC West will be very interesting to say the least.

Whom will MSU hire? Your guess is as good as mine at the moment, but it will be interesting to see what SEC program will hire Ed Orgeron as their defensive coordinator. Word is, Orgeron will likely be on the staff of either Tennessee or LSU.

A Sloppy Loss for LSU Raises Questions

Christopher Williams — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 19:04:00 -0500

After LSU’s comeback win against Troy State, I made the comment to someone that I am not going to say there is a problem with this team unless LSU loses to Ole Miss and Arkansas. Well, guess what LSU fans? There is a problem.

Lets go back to the beginning of the season. LSU started off 4-0 before getting embarrassed by Florida in the Swamp 51-21. The Tigers went on to beat South Carolina on the road then came back and lost to Georgia 52-38.

Then at home LSU beat Tulane before playing Alabama. When Bama came into Baton Rouge, the Tigers were 6-2 and a win over the No. 1 ranked Crimson Tide would have been a season saving win, but the Tigers lost in overtime 27-21.

The next game on the schedule was Troy State, the homecoming game was a rescheduled game due to hurricane Gustav. The Tigers scored 30 points in the 4th quarter and pulled off a victory over a team they were not suppose to struggle against.

Ole Miss then beat the Tigers in Baton Rouge 31-13 and then the Tigers went into Arkansas to play the 4-7 Razorbacks. The Razorbacks are now 5-7 and the Tigers are 7-5. This LSU team almost lost to Troy State and gave the game away to an Arkansas team who is horrible.

Arkansas’s four wins came from Western Illinois, UL-Monroe, Auburn, and Tulsa and now the LSU Tigers are added to this list. So what is the problem in Baton Rouge? Is it the coaching? Is it the lack of leadership? Is it the lack of experience at quarterback?

Although I have always supported Coach Miles I have to put the blame on him. The defense is horrible and if he does not make changes within his staff and get rid of the defensive co-coordinators then 2009 will be another long year. The one thing that the team lacks is motivation.

Going into the season I did said the Tigers will loose three games, four at the most. Going into a bowl game LSU will be 7-5 and judging by the last three games, it doesn’t matter who the Tigers play they will likely struggle. As I am writing this article, I started to think about possible reasons why this team has allowed the wheels fall off, but without a doubt something happened after LSU lost to Bama.

Did the team just give up after losing to Bama? Is there a division within the team? Honestly, I would like to hear from other LSU fans as to what you think is going on.

Also, if you get a chance please visit my blog at www.purplegrowl.com.

Alabama-Auburn: The Eye of the Tiger Has Top-Ranked Crimson Tide in Sight

Christopher Williams — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 15:51:00 -0500

Take everything you know about the 2008 Auburn Tigers and the 2008 Alabama Crimson Tide and throw it out of the window. When these two teams meet up on Saturday, there will be a lot on the line for both teams.

For Auburn, they need to win in order to become bowl eligible. For Alabama, they need to win in order to maintain their No. 1 ranking in the BCS in order to have a shot at the National Championship if they beat Florida in the SEC Championship.

Yes, I do know Auburn has one of the worst offenses in College Football while Alabama has one of the best defenses.

Also, I do understand that things might be falling apart in Auburn and there is a change Coach Tommy Tuberville might not be the head coach next year.

Everything is pointing to Alabama to win this game and there is little reason to think otherwise. If someone told you Auburn is going to win you will think they are crazy, right? Well here it is, Auburn is going to win on Saturday.

Why do I think Auburn will win? Everything just seems to be going perfectly for Alabama and I am surprised the Crimson Tide have not lost a game yet this season.

Some of you will think I look for any reason to bash the Crimson Tide, but this is not the case. In fact, as a member of Bleacher Report, I have learn that Alabama has some of the best fans in College Football. To be honest with you, I wish I was born a Bama fan, but I am not and I am just telling you what I think will happen on Saturday.

This is Auburn’s last chance to salvage this season and they will playing on emotion. This sounds similar to the reason why I said LSU would beat Bama, and in my defense the LSU Tigers tied Bama after four quarters before Bama beat LSU in OT.

This should be an interesting week and I know both teams will be ready, but you heard it here first. Put your life savings on it; Auburn will win this one.

For those of you who read my articles, please take time to visit my blog as well. In order for me to continue providing articles for Bleacher Report, please give me a few seconds of your time by visiting www.purplegrowl.com.

LSU Fans Are in the Spotlight in the Magnolia Bowl

Christopher Williams — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 13:31:00 -0500

When LSU and Ole Miss kick off tomorrow at 2:30 PM in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, it will be the first time the matchup will be known as the Magnolia Bowl. You can read more about this by clicking here.

Although both teams are not going to be playing in the SEC championship, Ole Miss is a program that is rebuilding, and the Rebels have a lot to play for. Coach Houston Nutt, in his first year at Ole Miss, is 6-4 and is the only team to knock off the Florida Gators this year.

The fans in Oxford, Mississippi are more than happy because between 2004 and 2007 the Rebels only won a total of 14 games. Ole Miss fans are thankful to be 6-4 and bowl eligible.

On the other hand, LSU is 7-3 and ranked No. 18 in the country, and if you listen to Tiger fans, the program is in trouble. The fans in Baton Rouge are booing a redshirt freshman who on paper looks to be just as good as Ole Miss’s QB Jevan Snead.

Jevan Snead

Jarrett Lee

Coach Les Miles is doing the best he has with what he's got, and there is no reason why fans should be booing this team and/or giving up on them. Last year the Florida Gators lost four games after winning the National Championship the previous year. By the way, Florida lost four games with a Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback.

So tomorrow, the spotlight is on the LSU fans. For those of you going to the game, will you give up on the team before halftime? Do you plan on booing Jarrett Lee? How will you make Tiger nation look on national television?

The game will play itself out, and to be honest with you, it can go either way, but how will you respond? I understand you pay for your tickets and you can do whatever you want, but before you buy them, you should be aware of the product you are buying.

If you can’t appreciate College Football and the fact that you actually get to go to an LSU game, then it is time to evaluate your purchase. There are many people in line who want to buy season tickets. Don’t renew your tickets if you don’t plan on supporting the Tigers through thick and thin.

Tomorrow you have a chance to redeem the image given to the LSU fanbase this year. Show the nation LSU fans can be classy. Most schools would love to have the program LSU has built, and as a fan, you should appreciate it as well.

The pressure is on the LSU fanbase—let’s see how they respond.

Since Bleacher Report adds ads to the articles, I ask that you also visit my blog at www.purplegrowl.com. At the moment I provide free material, but if Bleacher Report is profiting from me, then I will have to start going independent.

The Luck of the Irish Might Hurt LSU's Bowl Placement

Christopher Williams — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 22:02:00 -0500

The Cotton Bowl usually invites a team from the SEC and a team from the Big 12, but this year independent Notre Dame appears to be a team the Cotton Bowl is interested in inviting.

According to an article on ESPN’s website, the Irish, at 6-4, will be highly considered by the Cotton Bowl if they beat Syracuse.

All I have to say to this is, "Are you kidding me?" Notre Dame is a has-been program that is average at best. If the Irish were in the Big East, they would not even be able to win the conference and therefore do not deserve to play in a New Year's weekend bowl game.

Even if LSU loses one of its two next games, it still deserves to go over Notre Dame. Notre Dame lost to Michigan State, North Carolina, Pittsburgh, and Boston College. It beat Stanford by a touchdown and almost blew the game this past weekend against Navy.

The Irish play USC to ramp up the season, and they will likely finish 7-5. More than likely the other team in the Cotton Bowl will be Oklahoma State and the Cotton Bowl would rather match up one of these pretty good Big 12 teams against Notre Dame?

Putting the Irish in the Independence Bowl would be a better option, but in my opinion they are not even worthy to play in Shreveport. Put them in the St. Petersburg Bowl and let them play against a Conference USA team—it would be a more competitive game.

On the other hand, although LSU is having a down year, the Tigers are still 7-3 with losses to Florida, Georgia and Alabama. At least the teams LSU lost to were top-10 teams. It will be a close game in Baton Rouge this week, but I think LSU will beat Ole Miss in a close one. If not, matching LSU up against a Oklahoma State or Texas makes more sense than matching it up against Notre Dame.

Also, I know Notre Dame has a nationwide fan base, but wouldn’t it make more sense to invite LSU since the Cotton Bowl is only a six-hour drive from Baton Rouge? For LSU fans in Shreveport, it's only a two-hour drive. Do you think a lot of fans in South Bend will travel to Dallas, especially when our economy is in the shape it is in?

Is a Playoff in College Football the Answer?

Christopher Williams — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 18:24:00 -0500

Although a playoff system in college football sounds like a good idea, there are changes that need to be made before a playoff system can be adopted.

There are 119 Division 1A schools in college football that have the potential to become bowl eligible before each season. There are 34 bowls, so 68 teams will get invited to a bowl game. This means that more than half of all teams in Division 1A will play a post season game. Of the 68 teams playing a post season game, 10 teams will play in a BCS bowl game.

If a playoff system is implemented, what will this do to the bowl games? Will each playoff game be a separate bowl game? How will this affect money distribution? Will it eliminate controversy? Or will teams that just missed the playoffs still complain about the system?

The goal is to let the best teams in college football decide on the field who is the best.

If Utah is playoff eligible, can you think of a few teams who are better than Utah that will not be in the playoffs? Between the SEC and Big 12, I am sure there are several teams who would be able to make the argument that they are as good or better than Utah.

Will the ACC and Big East have the upper hand over teams that are not in a BCS Conference? You can make the argument that Boise State is better than any team in the Big East.

Before there can be a playoff system, the NCAA has to create another division. In other words, 119 teams need to be cut down to 60 teams and the other teams will split off into another division.

Also, there is going to have to be some type of schedule requirements that will prevent teams from playing so called “rent a win” teams. Strength of schedule will have to be a factor because it is the only argument that can be made as to why a team gets in over another team.

So do you think a playoff system is a cure-all answer? You also have to keep in mind that we are talking about college students and not pros. I think a four-team playoff could work that would be decided by the current BCS system, but anymore than four teams is just not realistic.

One solution could be to take away a regular season game, but then you are taking away profit from schools.

In reality, does anyone really think a playoff system will work? Seriously, think about the big picture. Tell me if you really think a playoff in College Football system would really work. What will need to be done in order to make a playoff system happen?

Now off the topic, Bleacher Report seems to add ads to articles. Since they are profiting from my work, can you at least visit my blog? It would be greatly appreciated.

LSU Fans Left; Tigers Come Back

Christopher Williams — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 13:40:00 -0500

When the 3rd quarter started, LSU was trailing Troy State 24-3 and half of the fans in Tiger Stadium were gone. Many so called "Tiger fans" counted the Tigers out and were embarrassed by the way they were playing against a team. These fans felt LSU should have rolled over.

When the game ended, LSU pulled off a history making comeback by beating Troy State 40-31. Some of you reading this will think that having to come back against Troy State is nothing impressive, but this game was exactly what this LSU team needed. It also proved that LSU fans are one of the most embarrassing fan bases in the nation.

The lack of support from the fan base was noticed by ESPN who made a comment about it. Former LSU defensive coordinator supposedly made a comment about it as well. Can you blame anyone for being completely amazed that a defending national championship team had a stadium that was almost empty by the time the Tigers made the biggest comeback in LSU history?

Last night proved that this LSU team has coaches that does not give up on their players and to come back and score 30 points in the 4th quarter shows this teams character.

Once the 'negafans' were gone, Jarrett Lee actually looked comfortable. I honestly believe he was able to play the game without the tension created by the fans. The fans don’t completely understand the psychological affect that the negative vibes (they bring to the game) have on a 19 year old man.

One thing about last night that impressed me was the support the team showed towards Jarrett Lee. In the 4th quarter, Jarrett Lee rolled out and didn’t find the open receiver. He made the right decision by throwing the ball away instead of forcing it. Several guys including Demetrius Byrd went to Lee and showed him support for his good decision.

Although it might not seem like much, it showed this team is not falling apart. In fact, the reason Jarrett Lee is still fighting and giving it his all is due to the support his teammates give him.

Blame anyone you want for this so called “down year” but the finger should be pointed at the fans who set their expectations to high. It is the fans who are throwing this team under the bus, not the team itself.

If you are a fan blaming the quarterback or Coach Miles and the co defensive coordinators maybe it is time to think more than what you see on the surface. This team deserves the support from its fan base. If you can’t give it, you are not a fan.

Congratulations to the LSU Tigers, you guys deserve much credit.

LSU: A Decline in Quality Fans

Christopher Williams — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 22:05:00 -0500

This weekend, LSU will host Troy State in a game that was rescheduled due to Hurricane Gustav. It is Homecoming for the Tigers, and LSU is a 19.5-point favorite.

The Trojans of Troy State are 6-3, with the three losses coming from Ohio State, Oklahoma State and UL-Monroe.

Although the Tigers will likely win, the Trojans are not to be taken lightly but it is not the game itself that concerns me, it is the LSU fans.

The #20 ranked Tigers are also 6-3 with losses coming from Florida, Georgia and Alabama. With a BCS game out of the question, the Tigers will more than likely be playing in the Cotton Bowl which is a SEC vs Big 12 match up. Although it is not a BCS bowl, I am excited about the idea of LSU playing against one of the Big 12 schools, however; many LSU fans are giving up on the Tigers.

Growing up a LSU fan, I always took pride in the tradition that surrounded our football program. Tailgating, the Golden Band from Tiger Land, and the fact that LSU is one of a few schools to have a live mascot on campus. Game days was always more than just the game, but winning has attracted many bandwagon fans and have spoiled younger fans who don’t remember the Curley Hallman days.

Today I came across a season ticket holder who was giving his tickets away because he was tired of sitting by people who boo the quarterback and yell as if the LSU team guaranteed them they would win the game.

Going into the season, a reasonable fan knew LSU was not going to be championship team this year. It has been stated time and time against that the Tigers were inexperienced at the quarterback position and many team leaders from 2007 graduated. On the other hand, there are the fans who expect their team to win every game. When times are bad, these people are calling into radio shows, posting on message boards and holding conversations that equal the sound of someone scratching their nails on a chalkboard.

College football is a game played by guys in the age range of 18-22 and who are not playing the game for a living. While some will say these guys have many perks, it is in no way worth the amount others are profiting from them, Do you think ESPN is bidding $125 million for five bowl games just because they want to? Not hardly.

Have you ever been to Las Vegas during football season? There are a few dollars going around Vegas that are never seen by the college players who are risking their physical health so that handicappers and odds makers can have a job.

So what is my point? My point is that LSU fans have shown a lack of loyalty towards their team. There was a day that LSU fans were just happy to go out and have a good time and support the Tigers.

While these guys are giving it their all while everyone is profiting from them, it would be nice to at least have a supportive fan base every year, and not just the 11-2 seasons.

It is embarrassing, but overall LSU fans are becoming classless jackasses. The game is not all about you and your pride, its about building and maintaining a program that will produce men who will productive in society on and off the field.

Crying Ty Willingham: It’s Not Because You Are Black

Christopher Williams — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 09:25:00 -0500

It appears Ty Willingham is not happy with the declining numbers of minority head coaches in College Football. Before I go on, you can read more about this topic at the following link.

In a day and age in which the United States of America elected its first African-American president, is the hiring of (or lack of) minority head coaches really an issue?

Does anyone honestly believe a university will not hire a black coach they know can build a winning program just for the fact he is black? In today’s world, the goal is to win, and it does not matter what color a person’s skin is. If he can win, he will get a job.

At one point, I used to have respect for Ty Willingham, but his continuing crying over the lack of minority coaches is getting old. Simply put, if he was able to win he would still have a job as the head coach of the University of Washington.

With this said, a head coach works his way up to be a head coach. So Ty, how many minority coordinators do you have? You think you can give more minorities a chance to work their way up to head coach?

Does anyone think the lack of minority coaches is an issue, or is it blown out of proportion?

No Cable? No BCS Bowl Games…

Christopher Williams — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 20:13:00 -0500

If Disney has its way, it will not be a fairy tale ending for those who don’t have cable by 2010. According to an article, Disney place a bid for $125 million to air the five BCS bowl games on ESPN.

This is not a big deal for those of us with cable, but I did not realize how many households are do not have cable. There is an estimated 16 million households in the United States that does not have cable.

Obviously, if you do not have cable and want to watch the big games you can go to a sports bar or to a friends house, but there are situations in which cable is not an option.

For the hunters out there, you will not be able to bring your TV to the camp and watch the games. If this deal goes through many people will not be able to watch something they enjoy watching.

Honestly, I understand it is a business move and it will not hurt me as a fan, but I do not agree with this. If ESPN wants rights to the BCS bowl games, they should be able to at least make it available to everyone not just those with cable.

Over the years ESPN has changed sports for the better, but they will eventually have a monopoly on the sports world and this will give them to much influence.

What are your thoughts on this?

Thank You: One Writer's Veterans' Day Tribute

Christopher Williams — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 19:01:00 -0500

Since today is Veterans Day, the least I can do is thank everyone who has ever served this country.

Whether you agree with me or not, whether you like me or dislike me, it is because of these men and women that I have the right to come to Bleacher Report and write on something I enjoy.

This might not be the appropriate site to submit this, but when it comes to our Veterans there is an exception to the rule and I hopefully I speak for most people who read my articles when I say Thank You.

Because my original article was made up by the three small paragraphs above, it was to small to import to Bleacher Report, so now I have to stretch my thanks to the Veterans so that it can get imported.

If you have family members, friends or co-workers who served our country, take the time to thank them. If you see someone with a Veterans license plate on the road, give them a thumbs up to let them know you appreciate what they did for this country.

Thank you for reading my articles and I will continue trying to produce something that is worth reading, after all you do give me your time by reading my work.

My Email to Paul Finebaum

Christopher Williams — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 18:47:00 -0500

Have you read the latest Paul Finebaum article? If not, you can see if by clicking the following link.
http://www.al.com/sports/press-register/pfinebaum.ssf?/base/sports/1226398558218610.xml&coll=3

I decided send Paul an email and I thought I would share it with everyone.

Well Paul,

I am glad you made the trip to Baton Rouge. In case you missed it, I wrote an article about you which you can read at the following link.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/78675-paul-finebaum-is-a-waste

Now, I just read your article titled Saban puts LSU fans in despair and I know being a "shock jock" is your meal ticket and all, but in all honesty, you suck. Enjoy Alabama's success now, because first of all they are really not that impressive. Then you throw in the fact that next year nine of those seniors includes the QB.

You might want to read my article on Nick Saban.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/79434-tiger-fans-end-the-saban-love-fest

Personally, I am not a big Nick Saban fan and for you to put all LSU fans in the same category shows you are one of the biggest idiots known to mankind.

How about this Paul? How about you invite me to call into your show so we can have a discussion about this past weekend's game? Lets swap stories about the different fan bases, because I saw a few backwoods redneck Bama fans that would make any LSU fan look first class.

Have a great day,

If this idiot decides to respond, I will keep you informed.

The Ladies Bring Balance to the Sports Writing World

Christopher Williams — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 16:32:00 -0500

After reading Kara Martan's article entitled “Lisa Horne Is Right! Chicks Do Dig the Long Ball, As Well As…” and communicating with a few female members of Bleacher Report, I have come to one conclusion: In general, female sportswriters are more rational and realistic than male sportswriters.

Just take a look at what Kara pointed out in her article. She listed the successful female writers who share their work on Bleacher Report, and from what I can gather it appears these ladies are able to write with less bias than us men.

After reading this article, I am sure the guys will accuse me of becoming soft. It will not surprise me if someone claims I am acting just like a woman, but there is a time when you have to give credit where credit is due.

Maybe I am in the minority, but when feedback is left by a woman I take it more serious than if it is from a male. Women are more creative in general, and a woman provides more sincere feedback than a guy.

Do not get me wrong, this does not apply to every woman who ever attempted to become a sportswriter. But I think these qualities are shared by those who become successful.

The problem men face is the fact that we have too much pride. There are many men out there who do not like the idea of a woman doing their job just as well or better than them, especially when it comes to something like sports writing, but I am one of the few who admit women add a much-needed balance.

Let's be honest, after a while there is only so much you can say about following a sporting event or leading up to a big game.

This is another general statement, but women are able to do a better job of filling in other aspects of the game than a man. Men will bore you with the stats, continuously state the obvious, and argue with each other until they are blue in the face. Trust me when I say the female side is much needed in the world of sports media.

Now it is time to hear more women on sports talk radio shows. Will you men listen to a woman sports radio host? If she is a voice—and not a pretty face—will you still listen?

To the ladies who contribute to Bleacher Report, please keep up the great work because you keep us men balanced.

Tiger Fans: End the Saban Love Fest

Christopher Williams — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 12:32:00 -0500

Last night, Nick Saban brought his No.1 ranked team into Baton Rouge and pulled out a win in overtime. This is Saban’s second year as Alabama’s head coach and I wish him the best of luck, but Tiger fans need to come to reality and move from what happened four years ago.

Before I go on, let me go back to the 1990’s. When Gerry Dinardo took over as LSU’s head coach in 1995, he lead the Tigers to a 7-4-1 season and brought the team to the Independence Bowl, this was a step above anything Tiger fans experienced during the Curley Hallman days. Hallman coached LSU from 1991-1994 and during his four years his best seasons were in 1991 and 1993 in which the Tigers finished the season 5-6.

In 1996, Dinardo lead the Tigers to a 10-2 season and brought them to the Peach Bowl and they finished the season ranked No.12 in the country. The following year, LSU finished 9-3, earned a spot in the Independence Bowl and finished No.13 in the nation.

After three years, Tiger fans had high expectations but the next two years Dinardo had a combined record of 7-15. Before the last game of the season in 1999, Dinardo was removed as head coach which was the beginning of a new decade for LSU.

In 2000, Nick Saban was hired as LSU's head coach and before winning a national championship in 2003, Saban had the following records.

2000: 8-4
2001: 10-3
2002: 8-5 *thanks to the blue grass miracle, LSU did not finish 7-6.

Then in 2003, LSU finished 13-1 with a National Championship. After this season the Nick Saban love fest started in Baton Rouge.

In 2004, the Tigers finished 9-3, but almost lost the first game of the season against Oregon State. Oregon State came into Baton Rouge unranked and forced LSU into OT in which LSU was able to luckily win.

Then on Christmas Day 2004, Nick Saban gives a press conference to announce he is leaving LSU. He coached the team in the Capital One Bowl game against Iowa and lost in the last few seconds 30-25.

Then comes Coach Les Miles who is able to win another championship for LSU in only three years. Before 2008, he did not lose more than two games a season and although Coach Miles had a chance to go coach his Alma mater, he decided to stay at LSU.

Am I missing something? What does LSU fans see in Nick Saban that they don’t see in Les Miles? I hate to say this, but LSU fans remind me of an abused wife who keeps wanting her husband back.

Maybe I am one of the few who is glad Nick Saban is out of LSU. Don’t get me wrong, I am glad he brought a National Championship to Baton Rouge, but he reached his peak and then cashed out when his stock was high. He made a great move, because if you read the comments made by LSU fans, they would have run him off two years after winning a National Championship if he would have lost any more than two games a season.

Les Miles has proved more consistency while winning a National Championship than Nick Saban, yet so man LSU fans think Saban is a football god.

Wake up Tiger fans and appreciate what you have, because I have a feeling things are better today with Les Miles than it would have been if Nick Saban would still be around (assuming he would not have been run off yet).

But Saban has lead the Crimson Tide to a No.1 ranking in only two years? Thanks to an easier than normal SEC schedule Nick Saban is peaking early and don’t be surprised if in three years Saban will be a thing of the past in Alabama.

Bama, Merry Christmas: From LSU

Christopher Williams — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 22:52:00 -0500

When the Alabama Crimson Tide arrived in Tiger Stadium there were four footballs waiting under the tree for them, wrapped by LSU’s Quarterback Jarrett Lee.

Alabama deserves credit for going into Baton Rouge and beating LSU today in a game that went into OT. The No.1 ranked Crimson Tide barely pulled out of the game alive, but they were able to win 27-21.

Despite the four INTs thrown by Jarrett Lee, LSU was able to control the game. The Tigers rushed for a total of 201 yards on a pretty good Bama defense.

Does my opinion on Bama change? I have to be honest with you. Bama is not as good as the voters make them out to be. Don’t get me wrong, I like to think the No.1 team in the country came into Baton Rouge and had to be forced into OT to win, but I do not think they are the best team in the country.

Florida outright beat LSU but Georgia and Bama were given wins thanks to pick sixes thrown by Jarrett Lee. When Bama and Florida meets in the SEC Championship, I think Florida will embarrass the Tide. Assuming Bama wins the next two games.

If they beat Florida then I will eat every word I said about this team. But thanks to LSU, Alabama will likely be in the Sugar Bowl playing Boise State while Florida will be playing in its second National Championship game in the last three years.

It was a great game, but when Bama looks back on this season they will be able to thank LSU for giving them the win.

Go ahead and take your shots at me, but I am just calling it how I see it.

Who Are the Bama Twins?

Christopher Williams — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 08:54:00 -0500

If you have ever watched an Alabama Crimson Tide football game, you have seen the blonde twins who wear the Bear Bryant hats.

Obviously they are very attractive, and because they always receive more airtime than the Bama kicker, I decided to see what is the story behind these two ladies.

Maegan and Ashley Bailey are Alabama fans, but apparently they have no affiliation with the school. It appears the two are UAB students who grew up in a household in which their parents were Auburn fans.

There was an article written in December of 2006 in which Maegan Bailey gave an interview, and this is where I found my information. You can view the article here.

Will these girls be in Baton Rouge on Saturday? If so, don’t be surprised if they have purple and gold on after the game, because they appear to be bandwagon fans.

It is obvious they are using the whole Bear Bryant hat bit to self promote. They are cute blondes who found a theme that would be attractive to the media. These girls get free press every time the Tide play on national TV.

It is only a matter of time before you see these girls in Playboy. If you girls want to promote yourself, contact me, and I will be happy to do an interview to post on Bleacher Report.

Pete Carroll and the Crying USC Trojans

Christopher Williams — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 20:28:00 -0500

There is no doubt college football must come up with a better way to decide what teams will play in the national championship game. Anytime you have people voting on who should playing to decide who is the best team in college football, there will be controversy. With this said, no matter how much you cry and complain about it, the BCS is the system currently used to decide who plays for the national title.

At this point in the season, the only team that is getting the raw end of the deal is Penn State. The Nittany Lions are 9-0 and with three games left in the season and will likely finish 12-0. If they do finish undefeated, they have a legit argument to play in the national championship game, but there are teams like USC who have no argument at all.

USC head coach Pete Carroll said the BCS stinks and that he doesn’t understand how it works. You can read more about his comments here, but it is not maybe it's not the BCS that stinks, but Carroll himself.

The Trojans did beat Ohio State earlier in the season and did so convincingly, but so did Florida and LSU in the last two BCS championship games. What is holding USC back is the fact it lost to Oregon State. Beating a ranked team does not hold much weight when you can’t beat the teams you are supposed to beat.

Don’t give me this load of you-know-what about shutting out Washington and Washington St. because these two teams combined have a record of 1-16. If Washington State would not have beat Portland State, the combined record would be 0-17.

USC is supposed to get the best talent year after year, yet Carroll can not coach them to victory against teams like Oregon State and Stanford. Can anyone tell me why USC should not have moved down in the BCS this past week?

Does anyone out there think USC is better than Alabama, Texas Tech, Penn State, Texas, Florida and Oklahoma? Maybe Penn State, but we will save that argument for another day (save the comments, I know I said Penn State has an argument, but the Lions are 9-0 so you can't take that away from them).

Stop your crying, Pete, and face the fact you are not that great of a coach. If your loss came from Ohio State instead of Oregon State, you might have something, but, year after year, you are handed a spot in the national championship by being ranked No. 1 or No. 2 in the preseason and you fail to maintain it, so go back to the NFL if you don’t like the system.

The Breakdown: Alabama Vs. LSU

Christopher Williams — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 22:38:00 -0500

In 1997, the Florida Gators came into Baton Rouge ranked No. 1, but the Tigers did not let the top-ranked hype intimidate them as they pulled off the win, beating Florida 28-21. This was the last time a top-ranked team came into Death Valley, but Saturday, Alabama comes to Tiger Stadium ranked No. 1—and this is only half of the hype that surrounds this game.

This will be the first time Nick Saban will come into Tiger Stadium after leaving LSU to go to the Miami Dolphins after the 2004 season. He coached the Dolphins for two seasons before accepting the head coaching position at Alabama. In only his second season as the Crimson Tide head coach, Bama is ranked No. 1 with a record of 9-0.

LSU is 5-2 and ranked No. 15. The Tigers have an inexperienced quarterback, and their defense has allowed 50+ points in two games this season. On surface, this game looks like a penciled-in victory for Alabama, but if you break it down, the Tigers have a legit shot to win this game.

Turnovers will be the key in this game. This sounds cliché, and I feel like I am stating the obvious, but LSU’s quarterback Jarrett Lee cannot throw INTs. Lee has 10 INTs this year, five of which were TD INTs. Two of the five were thrown in the Georgia game in which Lee threw a total of three INTs.

Alabama might put nine on the line and force LSU to beat them in the air. This seems to be the logical approach, but if LSU is successful and Lee does not throw INTs, it could turn around and bite Alabama. Brandon LaFell has 11 more receptions than Bama’s freshman stud Julio Jones, and LaFell has played one fewer game than Jones.

On the other side of the field, Demetrius Byrd is as much of a threat as LaFell. Byrd has 24 receptions for 376 yards and three TDs.

Despite the turnovers, LSU has the upper hand on offense, but it is the other side of the ball that is in question. As mentioned, LSU has given up 50+ points this year against Florida and Georgia. The defensive line is not as advertised, but hopefully the Tigers will change their scheme up this weekend and put more pressure on the quarterback.

Instead of using the linebackers as a brace for the secondary, the Tigers have to bring them in and put pressure on John Parker Wilson. Alabama does not have anyone else that can line up behind center, and John Parker Wilson is average at best. Don’t let him get the ball to Julio Jones, and Bama will not beat you in the air.

The Crimson Tide will have to live and die on the running game, and if they are forced to run, LSU’s defense will be able to have better control of the game.

Big plays won the game for Florida and Georgia against LSU, but Bama is not a big play team, and this will be in the Tigers' favor.

Breaking it down is not my strong point, but if you request it I will deliver. For LSU, this will be a game similar to the South Carolina game. South Carolina is a good team, but they are not a big play team. When looking at the numbers, I do not see anything that sticks out that convinces me that LSU cannot win this game.