Alabama vs. LSU: 3 Reasons A.J. McCarron Will Play the Biggest Role for the Tide

LSU and Alabama will face-off Monday night in the Superdome for the BCS National Championship.

The two teams are very similar on paper. Both teams feature a dynamic rushing attack and defenses that rarely give up big performances.

The Tigers use two quarterbacks to run one offense while the Tide stick with A.J. McCarron to facilitate their aerial assault.

McCarron threw for 2,400 yards, 16 touchdowns and five interceptions this season. He played second fiddle to the Tide run game and was relied upon not to lose games as opposed to win them.

Monday night, McCarron will need his best performance of the season.

Here are three reasons McCarron will play the biggest role for the Tide:

All Focus Is on Trent Richardson

Trent Richardson accumulated 169 total yards against LSU in Week 10. He rushed for 89 yards and caught 80 yards worth of A.J. McCarron's passes.

Don't count on John Chavis and the LSU defense allowing Richardson to do this again. The Tigers will come prepared to shut down the Tide's rushing attack.

This means McCarron must keep the Tiger defense honest. If he can make enough throws down the field, LSU will be forced to pull players out of the box and drop them in coverage.

LSU has one goal in mind: Force McCarron to beat their fantastic secondary on a consistent basis.

Whether he can do it or not, Nick Saban will have to let him try.

No One Expects McCarron to Turn in a Big Performance

A.J. McCarron has been a solid leader for the Crimson Tide this season.

However, he is not viewed as a quarterback that will win a game against an elite defense. At least not without a lot of help from his friends on offense.

McCarron is normally expected to come out and take care of the ball. He allows his defense and run game to win the Tide's ball games. As long as he doesn't turn the ball over, those two factors are usually enough to get the job done.

LSU and every college football fan watching this game will not expect McCarron to turn in a big performance on Monday night.

The time is now for McCarron to show he belongs behind center for a championship team. If he can do the unexpected, he will prove just that.

McCarron Doesn't Have a Choice

Quite frankly, A.J. McCarron has no choice but to perform well in front of Monday night's crowd in New Orleans.

If McCarron cannot make the necessary throws the Tide offense will become one-dimensional. If the Tide offense becomes one-dimensional this game will get ugly.

McCarron must turn in the biggest game of his collegiate career thus far. The only problem is it's against as good a defense as he will face in all four years in Tuscaloosa.

Nick Saban and his coaching staff have no choice but to turn McCarron loose. They must work the pass to open the run game.

If they can't this game will be over in a hurry.