It’s no surprise that the Alabama Crimson Tide opened with the top spot in the first unveiling of the College Football Playoff Rankings. Alabama looks like the best team in the country and will aim to remain that way in a tough road game against the No. 13 LSU Tigers.
LSU’s offense has struggled at times this season, but it has an elite running back and a very good defense. The Crimson Tide have handled any and all comers so far this season but this could be their toughest test of the season in a tough environment. Alabama is the favorite but an LSU upset is not out of the realm of possibility.
Watch this regular season Week 10 matchup live on Saturday, November 5, 2016, at 8 p.m. ET at Tiger Stadium.
NFL Odds at BookMaker.eu
Alabama -7
LSU +7
Over/Under 44.5
Odds Analysis
Alabama is the road favorite and the bettors believe it can cover this game. The action is coming in at a 78.5 percent clip to do so as many have seen the Crimson Tide dominate ranked opponents this year.
The scoring total is low because this game features two dominant defenses, and the gamblers believe it is still too high as nearly 80 percent of the money is pounding the “under.”
Alabama has been the favorite in every game it has played this season and is an impressive 6-2 against the spread despite giving up points each time. The Crimson Tide has covered in two of three away games.
LSU is 5-2 straight up and 3-4 against the spread this season. The Tigers have covered in three of their five home games in 2016.
Player to Watch
Leonard Fournette - The LSU passing game is poor, which has held the team back this year and torpedoed the team’s chance at making it into the College Football Playoff. If the Tigers are able to pull off the upset of Alabama, it will be on the back of their star running back Fournette.
He battled an ankle injury earlier in the season but has still accumulated 670 rushing yards and five touchdowns on only 83 carries this season. Fournette returned to action on Oct. 22 against Ole Miss and had a humongous game, carrying the ball 16 times for 284 yards and three touchdowns.
Fournette started slowly this season but is now averaging more than eight yards per carry and will aim to put up big numbers against Alabama. Anything more than five yards per carry would be extremely impressive against this Alabama defense, and if Fournette can’t get going it will make it tough for LSU to move the ball.
Key Stat
15 - Both teams are giving up that many points per game this season. In an era of high-flying offenses, both of these squads have athletic and tough defenses which shut down opponents.
LSU is only allowing 313.9 yards per game, including only 104.1 yards per game on the ground. Alabama has been even better, giving up 274.5 total yards per game and 70 on the ground.
Alabama has played in a couple of high-scoring affairs but for the most part has kept opposing offenses at bay. With LSU not having a good passing game, it seems like it will be hard for the Tigers to put the ball in the end zone.
The Tigers have given up less than 13 points per game in their recent three-game winning streak, but must slow an Alabama offense which is putting up 43.9 points per game.
Free ATS Pick
LSU wants this one to be a grind-it-out affair, because it could have trouble keeping pace in a high-scoring contest. Before the season started this matchup was looked upon as one featuring possibly the two best teams in the country, but the Tigers have not lived up to their end of the bargain.
Despite that, they can turn it all around by pulling off the upset of Alabama. It would be a big blow to the Crimson Tide’s national title hopes, and they will instead just hope to take care of business on their way to another championship game appearance.
This game has a lot of hype, but Alabama is just too good. Take the Crimson Tide to not only win the game but to cover as well in a tough road environment.
College Football Odds: Alabama 24, LSU 13
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