No. 14 LSU (6-2, 3-1) will welcome the Alabama Crimson Tide to Tiger Stadium on Saturday night and both programs will look to keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive.

It will be a top-15 matchup in Baton Rouge with major postseason implications on the line.

“The loser of this game says goodbye, goodbye to the season,” SEC Network’s Paul Finebaum told ‘SportsCenter.’ “Not in the literal sense, but in terms of the CFP (College Football Playoff).”

“The loser will have three losses. There is no way to get back in. There will be an SEC championship game. There really won’t be any hope. “There are too many schools competing for those at-large offers.”

What are the latest predictions? Can the Tigers surprise at home?

Current rumors surrounding the Southeastern Conference’s top 15 clash in Death Valley:

*(All odds according to DraftKings Sportsbook)*

Spread:
– LSU: (+3)
-Alabama: (-3)

Money line:
– LSU: (+120)
-Alabama: (-142)

More/Less: 58

The Alabama Crimson Tide is currently a three-point favorite heading into their Week 11 clash. Vegas, which hovered around the 1.5-point mark a week ago, continues to lean toward the Tide as the favorite Saturday night.

LSU has received 55% of bets to capture an outright victory in a Saturday night upset against the Crimson Tide or to cover the spread in a loss by a field goal or less.

The other 45% of bets coming in this week believe Alabama will cover the three-point spread and win by a field goal or more.

Looking at the betting spread Vegas has predicted, he believes the Crimson Tide will defeat the Bayou Bengals by a projected score of 31-28 in Baton Rouge on Saturday night.

ESPN’s Football Power Index predicts the outcome of every game on the college football slate each week, with the latest results recorded for Week 11.

Now, with this weekend’s schedule getting closer and closer, FPI has made an expert prediction for Saturday night in Death Valley.

The model leans heavily toward the Alabama Crimson Tide and Kalen DeBoer’s club receives a 69.8% chance of winning the Southeastern Conference clash.

With this, the Tigers have a 30.2% chance of pulling off an upset at home in a primetime matchup.

“In total, the Crimson Tide came out ahead in 13,960 of the index polls. calculations of the game, while the Tigers edged out Bama in the other 6,040 predictions. Alabama is expected to be 7.6 points better than LSU on the same field in the current makeup of both teams, according to the latest model forecast.”

It’s important to note that Brian Kelly has yet to lose a night game in Baton Rouge to this point, but ESPN’s Football Power Index continues to lean heavily on the Crimson Tide to ruin his hot streak.

CBS Analysts’ Picks: LSU Tigers vs. Alabama Crimson Tide

Aaron Taylor: Alabama

“I like Alabama a little more in this game,” Taylor said. “They’re coming off their best running game of the season,” Taylor said.

Part of their lack of faith in the Bayou Bengals stems largely from LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier’s inefficiency against Texas A&M in the second half.

“It’s hard for me to get Nussmeier’s play in that last game (vs. Texas A&M) out of my head.”

Rick Neuheisel: Alabama

Neuheisel agreed with Taylor’s thoughts on Nussmeier’s ineffective play; combining it with LSU’s lack of rushing attack through eight games of the 2024 season.

“When you take into account that LSU can’t run the ball, they are last in the SEC in running the ball, and that puts extra pressure on Garrett Nussmeier.”

Randy Cross and Brian Jones: LSU

The CBS analyst pair has recorded predictions for the LSU Tigers to enter Death Valley as the underdogs and pick up a win over the Crimson Tide.

LSU head coach Brian Kelly is 13-0 in night games at Tiger Stadium. Now, he will test his undefeated streak against Jalen Milroe and The Tide.

Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt recorded his prediction for Saturday night in Baton Rouge.

Alabama remains a 2.5-point favorite, according to DraftKings Sportsbook, and Klatt also favors the Crimson Tide.

“Remember, ‘Bama has the win over Georgia. And in this case, I would make them win, at night, at LSU. So they’re in. “They’re absolutely in,” Klatt said of Alabama’s chances in the College Football Playoffs.

The Crimson Tide, like LSU, will be inactive in Week 10 before next Saturday’s clash, but will certainly have all the momentum heading into November 9.

Coming off a 34-0 win in their last matchup against Missouri, Alabama is clicking on all cylinders heading into next weekend.

“That was a big win for Alabama on Saturday, even if it was against a Missouri team that has been overrated since the start of the season. Alabama’s defense played incredibly well after a few weeks of disappointing play,” Klatt said.

“I’m not sure how much we should take from that game because I don’t think Missouri is particularly good. But when you’re up 34-0 against an SEC opponent, it should mean something.”

No. 14 LSU and No. 11 Alabama will kick off at 6:30 pm CT on ABC in a battle to stay alive in the College Football Playoff race.

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