LSU vs. Alabama: Experience at Quarterback Will Keep LSU Atop BCS in SEC Tilt

With all the talk about the incredible defenses that LSU and Alabama will run out against each other in Saturday's Game of the Century/Millenium/All Time, it's easy to forget that someone has to, you know, score a few points.

This is exactly why the top-ranked Tigers will edge the Crimson Tide to grab a firm hold of their own destiny in the SEC West and the race for the BCS National Championship.

Not that Les Miles' squad is particularly well-endowed with an elite offense, or that what the Bayou Bengals bring to the table on that side of the ball is all that much better than what Bama has to offer overall.

The key difference between the two sides, though, is in experience under center. Bryant-Denny Stadium is no easy place for the Tigers to play, but the environment shouldn't prove prohibitively daunting whatsoever to senior quarterbacks Jarrett Lee and Jordan Jefferson. Lee, a fifth-year senior, has been a steady steward of LSU's offense this season, completing 63.2 percent of his passes while notching 13 touchdowns against only a single pick. He has been a more-than-able fill-in for Jefferson, who was suspended for the early portion of the 2011 season for his role in a fight outside a Baton Rouge bar over the summer.

Both figure to play on Saturday, though Lee will get the vast majority of playing time. The Tigers' offense will have trouble finding room to operate against a suffocating Bama D, but will be anything but flustered regardless of which highly-experienced signal caller is under center at any given time.

The Tide, on the other hand, will rely, as they have all season, on sophomore AJ McCarron. The native of Mobile, Alabama has acquitted himself well in his first year as a starter, throwing 10 touchdown passes against just three interceptions while connecting on 67 percent of his attempts.

As well as McCarron has played, however, and as much of an advantage as playing in front of the home fans will be for him, there's still no telling how he'll hold up amidst all the hoopla. After all, this will be, far and away, the biggest game in which McCarron has ever played, a game in which the pressure may well be intense enough to fluster a kid of his still-growing experience.

Granted, Lee and Jefferson have never participated in a clash between the top two teams in the nation, but their cumulative experiences should render the gap between what they've known and what they will encounter eminently more manageable, even if it is in a hostile environment.

Ultimately, though, we're speculating about the performance of 18-to-22-year-olds, a difficult and rather unsavory proposition given the volatility that comes with the territory of playing football at that age. Any one of these quarterbacks could just as easily succeed beyond our wildest dreams as he could spontaneously combust on the field during the game.

The specter of experience, though, should temper that danger somewhat, swinging the pendulum just far enough in Lee and Jefferson's favor to give LSU the slightest of edges to march on with its dream season.