BCS National Championship: Key Matchups for LSU vs. Alabama

After weeks of speculation, the rematch of the "Game of the Century" between No. 1 LSU and No. 2 Alabama is officially set for New Orleans on Jan. 9.

Yes, the 2012 BCS National Championship Game may include the two best teams in the country, but that hasn't pleased some college football fans who have expressed their displeasure with the title game pairing.

Obviously, there are a few fans out there who would much rather have seen Oklahoma State's high-powered offense test LSU's defense, but this is what the BCS system gave us, and we all have to live with it whether we like it or not.

The question everyone will be asking over the next month is, are we destined for another 9-6 defensive slugfest, or will the final round of this heavyweight fight feature a little more scoring?

A lot is going to depend on the key matchups between specific units.

Will LSU be able to run the ball on Alabama's swarming rush defense?

Will A.J. McCarron be able to throw the ball on LSU's talented secondary without making a crucial mistake?

Which coaching staff will have the better game plan?

They're all great questions, and they'll all get answered in time, but until then, here's a little early preview of the matchups that will decide this year's BCS championship game.

LSU Passing Offense vs. Alabama Pass Defense

If LSU QB Jordan Jefferson had competed in the Dr. Pepper half-time throw contest during the SEC championship game, I have a feeling that Ivon still would have won, given the way that Jefferson performed in the first half.

Still, you have to give credit to Jefferson for finding a way to win yet again, something he’s now done five straight times.

The formerly suspended senior signal-caller was LSU’s saving grace in the first game against Alabama, as he came in, stabilized the offense and found a way to pull out the victory.

Jefferson’s passing statistics aren’t going to make you forget about Dan Marino, but he’s the kind of quarterback who can do just enough to win you the ball game.

Alabama’s secondary is the best in the nation, with impact players like cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick and safeties Mark Barron and Robert Lester all roaming around.

Remarkably, Jefferson has only thrown one interception this year, but he’s going to have to be careful in New Orleans against the nation’s top-ranked pass defense.

Luckily for Jefferson, he’s got reliable receivers like Rueben Randle and Odell Beckham Jr. and tight end Deangelo Peterson, who can all make plays and bail him out if he needs help.

If LSU wants to win this rematch, Jefferson is probably going to have to play a bigger role as a passer, and it will be interesting to see how he handles the pressure.

LSU Rushing Offense vs. Alabama Rush Defense

LSU’s Spencer Ware and Michael Ford form one of the top running back duos in the country, and the scary part is, the two are only just sophomores.

Ware and Ford have both played key roles in LSU’s success this season, as they’ve combined to rush for 1,455 yards and score 15 touchdowns.

LSU had its lowest rushing output of the season against Alabama back on Nov. 5, rushing for just 148 yards, and it would seem that the Tigers are going to have to get a little more out of their ground game if they want to win again.

That won’ be easy, considering Alabama has one of the best linebacker corps in the history of college football, which includes defensive stars like Courtney Upshaw and Dont’a Hightower.

Ware and Ford complement each other well, and both are capable of wearing down a defense, but the stamina and depth that this Alabama front seven possesses is almost unprecedented.

As is usually the case, LSU is going to look to run the ball in order to open up the passing game, but it remains to be seen how much success the Tigers will find against an Alabama defensive front that has shut down every rushing attack they've gone up against this season.

The Tide are only giving up 2.5 yards per carry, and Ware and Ford are definitely going to have to muster up more than that if LSU wants to win once again.

Alabama Passing Offense vs. LSU Pass Defense

Alabama QB A.J. McCarron has been about as good as anyone could have hoped this year, as the redshirt sophomore has stepped in and guided Alabama to an 11-1 record and a berth in the national championship game.

McCarron has been an effective game-manager in his first year as a starter, completing 66 percent of his passes while only throwing five interceptions.

He hasn’t necessarily been overly impressive, but you can’t argue with results and wins.

McCarron didn’t exactly have a great game in the first meeting of the season with LSU, as he was held to under 200 yards passing and got picked off at the goal line on a critical drive (In fairness, it was a heck of a play by LSU safety Eric Reid.

The Tigers have one of the most talented secondaries in the country, with cornerbacks Morris Claiborne and Tyrann Mathieu and safeties Eric Reid and Brandon Taylor.

Claiborne, Mathieu and Reid could all be starting in the NFL right now, and they’re the type of opportunistic defensive backs who can really make a quarterback pay if he makes a mistake.

McCarron will have to be careful with the football and make wise decisions in the championship game, if Alabama wants to have a shot of winning the rematch.

One killer pick could change the entire complexion of the game.

Alabama Rushing Offense vs. LSU Rush Defense

Besides Baylor QB Robert Griffin III, there hasn’t been a college football player who has been as impressive this season as Alabama RB Trent Richardson.

Richardson has gone into his very own “beast mode” this year, rushing for 1,583 yards and scoring 23 total touchdowns.

In the first “Game of the Century,” the Heisman candidate was held to just 89 rushing yards on 23 carries (only the third time he was held under 100 yards on the ground this season), but he still made his presence felt by tearing off a few nice runs down the sideline.

The 5’11’’, 220-pound junior is the strongest and most powerful running back in all of college football, and there’s only one way to bring him down, and that’s by gang tackling.

LSU’s defense can swarm to the football as good as anybody, and the Tigers rank third in the country in rush defense, allowing just 2.6 yards per carry.

If there’s a matchup that Alabama will want to exploit, it’s the Tide’s offensive tackles, D.J. Fluker and Barrett Jones, who are two big, mean and strong dudes, against LSU’s undersized defensive ends, Barkevious Mingo and Sam Montgomery.

Mingo and Montgomery are both excellent pass-rushers, but since both weigh less than 250 lbs., look for Alabama to run a lot of stretch and power plays off-tackle to exploit its size advantage with Fluker and Jones.

Les Miles vs. Nick Saban

LSU's Les Miles and Alabama's Nick Saban are two of the top head coaches in the collegiate ranks, and they have both proven that they know how to prepare their teams for the big stage.

Mils and Saban each have a national championship on their resume already (Saban has two), and they'll be looking to add a little more hardware to the trophy case when their teams battle it out down in the Superdome.

Miles currently holds a 3-2 advantage over Saban in their previous five meetings dating back to 2007, and he managed to get the job done in the "Game of the Century" back in November.

Still, Saban is one of the most organized and prepared head coaches in all of college football, and there's rarely a time when he doesn't have his team in a position to be successful in a given game.

Both coaches have shown that they can handle the spotlight and thrive in the big moment, and both have the type of supporting staffs underneath them, made up of great assistant coaches like Kirby Smart and John Chavis, to really help them out.

Giving Miles and Saban a month to prepare for each other is an interesting dynamic, and it should be fun to see which coaching staff can come up with the best scheme for success.