LSU vs. Alabama: 5 Areas of the Game That the Tigers Have an Advantage

Tonight's BCS championship game, pitting No. 1 LSU and No. 2 Alabama against each other, will feature two of the strongest and most talented teams we've seen in college football in decades.

The star power that will be on display in New Orleans tonight will be truly remarkable.

It's hard to find many flaws in either of these two powerhouse teams. However, both of them do hold slight advantages in certain facets of the game.

Here's a look at the five areas of the game that LSU has an advantage.

Quarterback

Quarterback hasn’t exactly been a strength for either team this season, but both squads have gotten sufficient enough play out of the position to make it all the way to the national championship game. 

Neither LSU’s Jordan Jefferson nor Alabama’s A.J. McCarron has had to put their teams on their back this year, nor do they win ball games all by themselves. Both have simply been game managers who have been asked to not make any key mistakes. 

After taking over for Jarrett Lee midway through the first meeting with Alabama, Jordan Jefferson has solidified his hold on LSU’s quarterback job, as Lee has disappeared back to the bench. 

Jefferson has had his moments and shown some flashes in his last four games as a starter, even though he’s only thrown one touchdown in each game. 

As for McCarron, he’s had a pretty solid overall year in his first season as a starter, as he’s completed 66 percent of his passes and only tossed five interceptions. 

When it comes to experience, though, Jefferson has been in more big games and has had to deal with more pressure-packed environments than the young redshirt sophomore. That’s why LSU will have the advantage at quarterback in the national title game.

Wide Receivers

You obviously don't lose a player the caliber of Julio Jones, the No. 6 overall pick in the 2011 NFL draft, and get better at the wide receiver position, but Alabama's receiving corps, led by senior speedster Marquis Maze, has done enough to help QB A.J. McCarron feel comfortable in his first year as a starter.

Maze, Darius Hanks and Kenny Bell have all been reliable targets for McCarron this year, but in terms of pure talent, the two best wide receivers on the field in the national title game will be LSU's Rueben Randle and Odell Beckham Jr.

Randle finally lived up to his enormous potential this season, as the former highly-touted recruit hauled in 50 passes for 904 yards and scored eight touchdowns.

Beckham, who is only just a true freshman, has also opened eyes this season by catching 36 passes for 437 yards and scoring two touchdowns.

Randle and Beckham both have the type of natural speed and ability to stretch Alabama's secondary and put consistent pressure on the Tide's talented defensive backfield. The Tigers also have another potential difference-maker in Russell Shepard, who is capable of making a big play when called upon.

Defensive Line

One of LSU’s key strong points on defense is at the end position, where the Tigers have one of the deepest groups of defensive ends in the country.

Sam Montgomery and Barkevious Mingo are both special talents, and they’re the type of pass-rushers that can cause headaches for any quarterback.

LSU also has a bunch of situational ends like Kendrick Adams, Lavar Edwards and Jermauria Rasco that the coaching staff can sub in without the fear of having much of a drop-off.

LSU's defensive tackles are also a deep and talented group, as they may be young, but they're also extremely impressive.

Redshirt sophomore Michael Brockers and true freshman Anthony Johnson both have the look of future top-15 NFL draft picks. And the scary part is, they aren't the only two Tiger tackles that can cause nightmares for an opposing offensive line, as Bennie Logan and Josh Downs can also wreak their fair share of havoc.

Alabama may have one of the best nose tackles in the country in Josh Chapman, and the Tide also have some emerging studs in juniors Jesse Williams, Damion Square and Quinton Dial, but there’s no question which team has the deeper defensive line, and that’s LSU.

Cornerbacks

Never before have two cornerbacks from the same team made the first team of the AP All-American team. But then again, we haven’t seen many cornerback combos in the history of college football that can compare to LSU’s duo of Tyrann Mathieu and Mo Claiborne.

You know your team has some pretty good cornerbacks when one of them finishes as a Heisman finalist and the other is destined to be a top-10 pick in the upcoming draft.

Alabama also has a few top-notch cornerbacks with Dre Kirkpatrick, Dee Milliner and DeQuan Menzie, but not even the Tide’s talented cornerback crop can compare to the two stars that LSU has.

Mathieu has been one of the true stars of college football this season, and there isn’t a receiver on the planet that Claiborne can’t go toe-to-toe with.

Special Teams

After that miserable performance against LSU in the "Game of the Century," obviously there's no way you could give the special teams advantage to Alabama.

Four missed field goals cost the Tide a chance at beating LSU the first time around, and now, it will be up to Jeremy Shelley and Cade Foster to prove that they can handle a pressure-packed spotlight game and not freeze up when counted on.

LSU, on the other hand, hasn't had to worry much about its place-kicker this year.

Drew Alleman has been one of the most consistent kickers in the country this season, as he's put 16 of his 18 field goal attempts through the uprights and only missed one extra point.

Alleman has already put the dagger through Alabama's heart once this season, and he may have the opportunity to do it once again down in New Orleans.

Then you’ve got punter Brad Wing, who has been one of LSU’s most underrated and undervalued weapons this year.

The freshman has stepped in and been nothing short of sensational this season.

Wing has only had to punt the ball 50 times this year, but he's boomed most of them, averaging 44.1 yards per punt.

Wing’s 73-yard punt in the second half of the "Game of the Century" was one of the most crucial and clutch plays of LSU's entire season.

In the return game, it’s hard not to like what you’ve seen from Tyrann Mathieu on punt returns this season.

One of the main reasons that the Honey Badger was able to garner so much attention late in the year had to due with his two crucial punt returns for touchdowns against Arkansas and against Georgia in the SEC championship game.

Mathieu has given the Tigers a true spark as a punt returner this season, and his 16.1 yards per return average is one of the best in the country.