Alabama-LSU Showdown Could Once Again Decide the SEC West

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — One gets the feeling that if Marcus Spears could come back and play one more game at the collegiate level it would be the next one on his alma mater’s schedule.

LSU vs. Alabama remains the pinnacle when you’re talking about physical football.

“This is my type of game,” the analyst for SEC Nation said. “Bloody nose, snot running down your mouth, all kind of stuff going haywire.

“It’s really going to come down to what it’s come down to in recent years. Playmakers are going to step up and make their key play late in the game, or who’s going to get an extra possession in the game to get the W.”

Welcome to the latest chapter in the still-evolving Alabama-LSU rivalry, what some call “The Saban Bowl.” Even though the last four games have all been won by the Crimson Tide, the matchup has arguably been the most important in college football since Nick Saban took over at Alabama in 2007.

This year will be no exception, especially with the ways the teams match up. Although Ole Miss is still with them in the Southeastern Conference’s West division standings, the Alabama-LSU winner will at minimum have the inside track on the bigger prize, a spot in the playoffs for the national championship.

“It’s huge. It’s always a fun game. It’s been for the West pretty much for the past few years,” former Alabama offensive lineman Barrett Jones said. “It’s always the game you’re the most sore after.”

Season	Location	Winner	Score	Winning team finish
2007	Tuscaloosa	LSU	41-34	SEC champion
2008	Baton Rouge	Alabama	27-21 OT	1st place SEC West
2009	Tuscaloosa	Alabama	24-15	SEC, BCS champion
2010	Baton Rouge	LSU	24-21	3rd-place SEC West
2011	Tuscaloosa	LSU	9-6 OT	SEC champion
2011	New Orleans	Alabama	21-0	BCS champion
2012	Baton Rouge	Alabama	21-17	SEC, BCS champion
2013	Tuscaloosa	Alabama	38-17	Tied for 1st SEC West
2014	Baton Rouge	Alabama	20-13 OT	SEC champion

Although this will be the 80th meeting in the series—Alabama and LSU have been playing since 1895 (the Crimson Tide lead 49-25-5)—the intensity dramatically picked up when Saban landed in Tuscaloosa.

The games have only followed suit and in each case at least one of the teams was ranked in the Top 5 of the Associated Press poll. They met twice as the top two teams in the rankings in 2011, the second being in the BCS National Championship, and only once the winner didn’t end up at last tied for the division title.

It’s also been the premier game of future National Football League talent.

Since 2010, Alabama has had 44 players drafted while LSU has had 39. A total of 45 players from the 2011 games went on to be selected in the NFL draft, including 14 first-round picks.

LSU (7-0, 4-0 SEC):	Bye, at Alabama, Arkansas, at Ole Miss, Texas A&M.
Alabama (7-1, 4-1):	Bye, LSU, at Mississippi State, Charleston Southern, at Auburn.
Ole Miss (6-2, 3-1):	at Auburn, Bye, Arkansas, LSU, Mississippi State.

When the NFL did its annual roster breakdown for opening weekend last month, LSU had the most players on active NFL rosters with 40, while Alabama was tied for fourth at 34. At one point during the 2014 season, though, Alabama had the most players with 42.

There really are no better football factories, especially since they play the same style as most NFL teams, and place a premium on strong defensive play.

“They always have good defense,” Jones said about LSU. “They always play hard and try and run the football.

“They don’t really try and hide like some of these other teams do. They come out and try and hit you in the mouth better than you hit them in the mouth. We’ve always respected that.”

The same could be said about Alabama by LSU.

"They're better than six defenses in the NFL right now,” said Spears, a Baton Rouge native who played for Saban at LSU from 2001-04 and went from tight end to fullback and defensive end before being a first-round draft pick by the Dallas Cowboys.

“It's been a joy to watch.”

National rankings	Alabama	LSU	Ole Miss
Total D	6	20	31
Rushing D	4	7	26
Passing Effic. D	12	46	28
Scoring D	15	T39	29
3rd-Down D	18	41	90
Turnovers gained	T9	T91	T14

While a lot of the pregame hype for the Nov. 7 meeting at Bryant-Denny Stadium (7 p.m. CT, CBS) will be about the running backs, as Leonard Fournette is already considered a heavy favorite to win the Heisman Trophy and Derrick Henry might be the only other SEC player with a shot, Spears is eager to see how the lines fare.

For example, Alabama’s defensive line goes at least nine deep even without the linebackers who pass rush, and rotates heavily.

LSU’s veteran offense line has been as good as hoped as well, with Spears calling it one of the best three in the nation.

“We’ve had so much hype about Leonard Fournette—I love him, you guys know I’m an LSU fan after I get done doing my job—but the guy has 748 yards before he’s even touched,” Spears said before LSU hosted Western Kentucky in the rain on Saturday. “That says a lot about the guys up front.

“Matchup-wise, when you talk about physical ability, big on big, good on good, LSU’s offensive line is probably best suited to try and block Alabama’s defensive line.”

So even though both teams are on a bye this week, let the hype for No. 4 LSU at No. 7 Alabama begin, as it’ll again be the game of the year in the SEC. In may ways it's the best college football has to offer nowadays, and what LSU head coach Les Miles calls “big boy football.”

"It's going to be crazy,” Spears said. “I look at both of those teams, and if Alabama is better than LSU, it's 51-49. There's not really a glaring difference now."

Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

Christopher Walsh is a lead SEC college football writer. Follow Christopher on Twitter @WritingWalsh.