Alabama Crimson Tide at LSU Tigers Betting Preview

Longtime SEC rivals will meet up at Tiger Stadium on Saturday night when the LSU Tigers host the No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide. This is normally a battle of top 10 teams, but that isn’t the case this season.

Alabama is the top-ranked team in the country, and the Crimson Tide are a perfect 8-0 on the season. Head coach Nick Saban has another team that looks to be the favorite to win the national championship. 

LSU is the reigning national champion, but the Tigers are just 3-4 so far this season. The Tigers lost a number of their stars from a season ago are struggling to compete in the rugged SEC.

The Alabama Crimson Tide are 29.5-point favorites over the LSU Tigers on Saturday night. 

Offense Carrying Crimson Tide

Defense is normally the calling card for the Crimson Tide, but that is not the case in 2020. Alabama is averaging 48.5 points per game this season, and a majority of that damage has been done through the air. 

Quarterback Mac Jones has thrown for 2,728 yards and 23 touchdowns this season and is in the mix to win the Heisman Trophy. Wide receiver DeVonta Smith leads the team with 1,074 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns, and he will be hard to stop in this matchup.

The defense is allowing just 18.5 points per game, and it’s not like that unit has been struggling. Alabama can still get after the quarterback, and it won’t make things easy on the LSU offense in this one. 

LSU Defense Has Struggled

The defense in LSU is allowing 30.3 points per game, and that could be a problem in this one. But the Tigers' unit has shown improvement in recent weeks and held Texas A&M to just 105 passing yards last weekend in a low-scoring affair. The Tigers will similarly need to avoid letting this game turn into a shootout. 

On offense, LSU has been able to score more than 30 points per game and are throwing the ball for more than 313 yards per game. Quarterbacks TJ Finley and Max Johnson, who will be filling in for the injured Myles Brennan, will need to steip up in this game. If LSU wants any chance of keeping this game close, then the Tigers will have to hit on a number of big pass plays. 

Alabama Gets Revenge But Fails To Cover

There is no doubt that revenge will be on the mind of the Crimson Tide team after suffering a 46-41 loss to LSU a season ago. Alabama is clearly the better team this season, and it will be out to prove it on Saturday night.

LSU has struggled to replace all of the talent it lost from a season ago, while Alabama is loaded with NFL prospects. The Tigers face a steep challenge to keep up with the Crimson Tide offense, but have shown fight over the last two games following a 48-11 blowout loss at Auburn. LSU rebounded with a 27-24 SU win over Arkansas and kept a loss to higher-rated Texas A&M within the 16-point spread last week.

A 29.5-point spread is unheard of in this great rivalry and looks too high even for the vaunted Crimson Tide to cover on the road. Bet the LSU Tigers +29.5 against the Alabama Crimson Tide in this SEC showdown. And make sure to check out our college football picks page for more great bets for this weekend.

In addition, Dunkel's FCS picks for Saturday are below:

Western Carolina at North Carolina
Time: 12:00 p.m. ET
Dunkel Ratings: Western Carolina 47.021; North Carolina 91.522
Dunkel Line & Total: North Carolina by 44 1/2; 74
Vegas Line & Total: North Carolina by 49 1/2; 69 1/2
Dunkel Pick: Western Carolina (+49 1/2); Over