LSU vs Alabama BCS Rematch: Breaking Down All of the Positional Matchups

No matter what your opinion about the BCS championship game is, whether you love the idea of a rematch or not, you have to admit that overall, LSU and Alabama are the two most talented teams in the country, and the showcase of star players that will be on display on Jan. 9 down in New Orleans is something we just don’t get to see in college football very often.

Trent Richardson, Tyrann Mathieu, Sam Montgomery, Morris Claiborne, Barrett Jones—I can keep rattling off all the big names that will be playing in this matchup, but it would take too long.

These are basically two NFL JV Teams, and the star power that will be on that field is truly remarkable.

While these may be the two most talented teams in the country, they do both possess their own sets of strengths and weaknesses.

Here's a look at which team holds the advantage at every key position on the field.

Quarterback

Quarterback hasn’t exactly been a strength for either team this season, but both squads have gotten sufficient enough play out of the position to make it all the way to the national championship game.

Neither LSU’s Jordan Jefferson nor Alabama’s A.J. McCarron has had to put their teams on their back this year, nor do they win ball games all by themselves. Both have simply been game-managers who have been asked to not make any key mistakes.

After taking over for Jarrett Lee midway through the first meeting with Alabama, Jordan Jefferson has solidified his hold on LSU’s quarterback job, as Lee has disappeared back to the bench.

Jefferson has had his moments and shown some flashes in his last four games as a starter, even though he’s only thrown one touchdown in each game.

As for McCarron, he’s had a pretty solid overall year in his first season as a starter, as he’s completed 66 percent of his passes and only tossed five interceptions.

When it comes to experience, though, Jefferson has been in more big games and has had to deal with more pressure-packed environments than the young redshirt sophomore, and that’s why LSU will have the advantage at quarterback in the national title game.

Running Back

LSU’s Spencer Ware and Michael Ford make up one of the best running back combos in the country, as the two have combined to rush for 1,455 yards and score 16 touchdowns. In this case, though two actually isn’t better than one, because Alabama just so happens to have the best running back in the country in Trent Richardson.

Richardson, who finished third in this year’s Heisman voting, has exploded in his first year as the starter in the Alabama backfield, as he’s rushed for 1,583 yards and scored 23 total touchdowns.

The 5’11’’, 225-pound junior is a true powerhouse, and he’s the strongest and most powerful back in the country.

LSU managed to keep Richardson out of the end zone in the first matchup between these two teams, but the Tigers aren’t going to have an easy time keeping him out again when they meet down in New Orleans.

Edge: Alabama

Wide Receiver

You obviously don't lose a player the caliber of Julio Jones, the No. 6 overall pick in the 2011 NFL draft, and get better at the wide receiver position, but Alabama's receiving corps, led by senior speedster Marquis Maze, has done enough to help QB A.J. McCarron feel comfortable in his first year as a starter.

Maze, Darius Hanks and Kenny Bell have all been reliable targets for McCarron this year, but in terms of pure talent, the two best wide receivers on the field in the national title game will be LSU's Rueben Randle and Odell Beckham Jr.

Randle finally lived up to his enormous potential this season, as the former highly-touted recruit has hauled in 50 passes for 904 yards and scored eight touchdowns.

Beckham, who is only just a true freshman, has also opened eyes this season by catching 36 passes for 437 yards and scoring two touchdowns.

Randle and Beckham both have the type of natural speed and ability to stretch Alabama's secondary and put consistent pressure on the Tide's talented defensive backfield.

Edge: LSU

Tight End

Neither of these teams possesses a true standout tight end, but both squads have the benefit of having two reliable options who are versatile enough to contribute in both the running and the passing games as both blockers and receivers.

For LSU, it’s Deangelo Peterson and Chase Clement. For Alabama, it’s Brad Smelley and Michael Williams.

Peterson and Clement are both capable pass-catchers, but neither has been all that involved in the passing game this season.

Smelley and Williams, on the other hand, have consistently been involved in Alabama’s passing attack, as the two tight ends have combined to catch 41 passes for 498 yards and score six touchdowns.

Because Smelley and Williams have proven to be more valuable in the passing game, Alabama gets the edge at tight end.

Edge: Alabama

Offensive Tackle

Alabama has two of the best offensive linemen in the country manning its tackle positions with Barrett Jones and D.J. Fluker.

Jones and Fluker are two of the best run-blockers you’re going to find in college football, and they’ve opened up some huge holes for RB Trent Richardson this year.

They have also both proven that they have the athleticism to hold their own in the passing game, as they’ve shown that they can handle the elite edge speed that some of the top defenses in the SEC had to offer.

LSU has two high-quality tackles of its own with Chris Faulk and Alex Hurst. Hurst may actually have the most pro potential out of all of them, but the duo of Jones and Fluker just might be the best offensive tackle tandem in the country.

Edge: Alabama

Interior Offensive Line

Both of these teams are strong up the middle, and they’ve each got a reliable linchpin center that can hold the offensive line together—Alabama has William Vlachos, while LSU has P.J. Lonergan.

Both teams have solid interior lines that have opened up big lanes for their team's rushing attacks this year, but it’s LSU’s interior three, led by All-American guard Will Blackwell, that has been the more consistent overall group this year.

Edge: LSU

Defensive Tackle

LSU's defensive tackles may be young, but they're also extremely talented.

Redshirt sophomore Michael Brockers and true freshman Anthony Johnson both have the look of future top-15 NFL picks. The scary part is, they aren't the only two Tiger tackles that can cause nightmares for an opposing offensive line, as Bennie Logan and Josh Downs can also wreak their fair share of havoc.

Alabama may have a quality nose tackle in Josh Chapman, but there's no doubt that LSU has the edge in the defensive interior.

Edge: LSU

Defensive End

One of LSU’s key strong points on defense is at the end position, where the Tigers have one of the deepest groups of defensive ends in the country.

Sam Montgomery and Barkevious Mingo are both special talents, and they’re the type of pass-rushers that can cause headaches for any quarterback. LSU also has a bunch of situational ends like Kendrick Adams, Lavar Edwards and Jermauria Rasco that the coaching staff can sub in without the fear of having much of a drop-off.

Alabama took a major hit at the defensive end position when the Tide lost Marcell Dareus early to the draft, but Nick Saban has had some solid reinforcements to plug in on his three-man defensive line with guys like Jesse Williams, Damion Square, Ed Stinson and Quinton Dial.

Still, even though Alabama has some scary-looking defensive ends, it’s LSU that will have the two best players at the position in the national championship game.

Edge: LSU

Linebacker

This year, Alabama has one of the deepest and most talented linebacker corps in college football history.

Courtney Upshaw and Dont'a Hightower are two of the top linebackers in the country, and guys like Nico Johnson, Jerrell Harris, C.J. Mosley and Trey Depriest are all impact players in their own right.

Alabama has the benefit of having six linebackers that would start for basically any other team in the country, and that type of depth allows defensive coordinator Kirby Smart to get creative with his defensive schemes and substitutions.

The Tigers have a solid linebacker unit of their own, led by seasoned veteran Ryan Baker and budding star Kevin Minter, but there's not another linebacker group in the country that can compare to what the Tide put out on the field. 

Edge: Alabama

Cornerback

Never before have two cornerbacks from the same team made the first team of the AP All-American team.

Then again, we haven’t seen many cornerback combos in the history of college football that can compare to LSU’s duo of Tyrann Mathieu and Mo Claiborne.

You know your team has some pretty good cornerbacks when one of them finishes as a Heisman finalist and the other is destined to be a top-10 pick in the upcoming draft.

Alabama also has a few top-notch cornerbacks with Dre Kirkpatrick, Dee Milliner and DeQuan Menzie, but not even the Tide’s talented cornerback crop can compare to the two stars that LSU has.

Edge: LSU

Safety

LSU's Eric Reid will be the most talented safety on the field in the national title game, but the duo of Alabama's Mark Barron and Robert Lester just so happens to be the best safety tandem in America.

Both Barron and Lester are potential future first-round NFL draft picks and each of them possess game-changing ability.

Barron is one of the true leaders of Alabama's defense, and he's the type of playmaker who makes a living making key stops and momentum-swinging plays when it counts.

Edge: Alabama

Kicker

After that miserable performance against LSU in the "Game of the Century," obviously there's no way I'm giving the kicking advantage to Alabama.

Four missed field goals cost the Tide a chance at beating LSU the first time around, and now it will be up to Jeremy Shelley and Cade Foster to prove that they can handle a pressure-packed spotlight game and not freeze up when counted on.

LSU, on the other hand, hasn't had to worry much about its place-kicker this year.

Drew Alleman has been one of the most consistent kickers in the country this season, as he's put 16 of his 18 field goal attempts through the uprights and only missed one extra point try.

Alleman has already put the dagger through Alabama's heart once this season, and he may have the opportunity to do it once again down in New Orleans.

Edge: LSU

Punter

Punter Brad Wing has been one of LSU’s most underrated and undervalued weapons this year, as the freshman has stepped in and been nothing short of sensational this season.

Wing has only had to punt the ball 50 times this year, but he's boomed most of them, averaging 44.1 yards per punt.

Wing’s 73-yard punt in the second half of the "Game of the Century" was one of the most crucial and clutch plays of LSU's entire season.

Edge: LSU

Kick Returner

Since these two defenses are so good, these teams don’t see too many kickoffs. In fact, Alabama has seen the fewest kickoffs in the country, with just 21 returned this season.

On the rare occasions that the Tigers and the Tide do have to return a kick, though, they each have a very dangerous weapon waiting near the goal line.

Alabama’s Marquis Maze averages a whopping 28.5 yards per return, while LSU’s Mo Claiborne is no slouch in his own right, as he averages 27 yards per return.

Both are explosive athletes with great return skills, and each player has taken one back to the house this year, but because Maze has the slight advantage in yards-per-return average, I’ll give Alabama the edge at this position.

Edge: Alabama

Punt Returner

Tyrann Mathieu has been one of the biggest breakout stars of the 2011 season. One of the main reasons that the Honey Badger was able to garner so much attention late in the season was his two crucial punt returns for touchdowns against Arkansas and against Georgia in the SEC championship game. 

Mathieu has given the Tigers a true spark as a punt returner this season, and his 16.1 yards per return average is one of the best in the country.

Edge: LSU