LSU vs Alabama Rematch: Why We Won't Get Another 9-6 Game This Time Around

So it seems inevitable that Alabama and LSU will face off in the BCS national title game this year as LSU dismantled Arkansas, the only team outside of Nick Saban's squad that looked to stand a chance against the Bayou Bengals. 

The obvious question is: will this game be the sloppy, hard hitting, and defensive 9-6 contest all over again? The true answer to this? No. 

First a disclaimer: by no means will this game turn into a Houston vs Oregon affair. The game will still feature some of the best defenses in the nation, stocked with talent you will see on Sunday's next season, not to mention bone breaking hits in the open field and battles in the trenches that will set the tone for the game. But that's where the similarities stop.

LSU's offense will be much better this time around. Alabama's 3-4 defense is one of the most unique and NFL-looking units in the country. Switching quarterbacks midway through this game only hurt the LSU offense more as Jarrett Lee struggled against the Crimson Tide early. 

With the experience and tape from facing this defense Jordan Jefferson will be much more prepared to take on Bama and have success. Jefferson has taken the most of his second chance and as seen vs Arkansas, he can lead a unit with the potential to be explosive and electric. 

Trent Richardson will be fresh, which will translate into success for Alabama's offense. Richardson will have had around a month off before playing LSU and as seen last game, Richardson was a force to be reckoned with both as a receiver and as a runner. This game was physical and the wear on Richardson showed in the second half, leading to less production. 

With a month off, Richardson will be able to recharge and be 100% for this game. This will allow the hard runner to be productive for a full 60+ minutes rather than just the first half.

Finally, the special teams units, specifically the kickers, will have much different roles. Aside from the obvious change of more practice for the them, Saban and Les Miles will have new game plans in place.

Before the game, both coaches had assumed these kicks would be automatic points from within a certain range. With the inconsistency of both units in the last meeting, watch for both coaches to look at field position very differently and thus keep the kickers on the sidelines more and be more aggressive when in opponent territory. 

This rematch will be a great game to watch and should overshadow the "Game of the Century" due to the increase in overall football quality. That doesn't mean the result will be any different.

LSU 21 Bama 17