LSU vs. Alabama: Which Program Is Safer Bet to Extended SEC's BCS Title Streak?

We are just a week away from the highly anticipated matchup between the nation's two best teams, No. 1 LSU and No. 2 Alabama.

There is a lot riding on the line in the "Game of the Year" at this point in the season: Most importantly, the fact that the winner will likely find themselves playing in the BCS Championship game with an opportunity to extend the SEC's streak of winning the BCS Championship to a whopping six consecutive seasons.

The question, though, is which of the two SEC powerhouses is the safer bet to extend the SEC's dominance over the rest of the nation?

Quite frankly, you can make the case for either team, that's how good they both are. But, if I have to pick one, I'm going with the Crimson Tide.

For one, looking at the remaining schedules for both teams, it's quite possible that if LSU beats Alabama on November 5, they could still stumble in their season finale against Arkansas. The Tigers have had a brutal schedule up to this point in the season and it would only be human nature for them to not show up for one game.

On the other hand, even though the Iron Bowl against Auburn is a rivalry game, the Crimson Tide should realistically be fine until the SEC Championship game.

Both teams are built to succeed on the defensive side of the ball, and relying on either team's defense to carry them to a title is an extremely safe bet. Both offenses have performed at a high level, but if I had to pick one guy on either team to put the biggest game of the year on his shoulders, that would be Alabama running back Trent Richardson.

Richardson is having a Heisman-Trophy-like season, and even though quarterback A.J. McCarron has been pretty good, the safest bet for either team is having Richardson to turn around to hand the ball to in a big moment.

Both teams’ lines on both side of the ball should be able to dominate the completion the rest of the way, so the determining factors for me are the LSU schedule and Richardson.

The coaches are a wash. If Nick Saban and Les Miles aren't the top two coaches in the nation, they are right up there. But, again, if I had to pick one of the two, I'm going with Saban—and that's really no knock on Miles.

All the suspensions and off-the-field drama could possibly catch up with the Tigers, however. While it's unlikely, and Miles is too good of a coach to allow it to happen, there is still more of a chance that something crazy off the field could still pop up and affect the Tigers for the rest of the season.

While either team is a pretty safe bet to extend the SEC's streak of BCS championships, the safer bet is probably the Alabama Crimson Tide.