Free College Picks: Alabama Crimson Tide at LSU Tigers

Alabama is coming off a bye week and ready to take to the road for the fifth time in seven games by making a trip to Tiger Stadium to take on the LSU Tigers this afternoon.  “This team has a great opportunity in the last one-third of the season,” said head coach Nick Saban.  “We need everyone’s best.  We need their attention to detail.”  This will be the 74th meeting between the two schools in a series that the Crimson Tide lead 45-23-5, including an impressive 25-8-2 record in Baton Rouge.  Saban has compiled a solid 35-9 record and has led the team to two SEC Western Division championships, one conference title and a national championship.  The program is 12-3 against AP Top 25 opponents over the last three seasons.  Alabama is 8-4 ATS as a favorite of 3.5 to 10 points.

The Crimson Tide still have a legitimate shot of reaching the BCS championship game, but their remaining SEC West opponents are a combined 23-3.  Alabama is the only team in the country with three teams ranked in the BCS Top 25 remaining on its schedule.  Saban has led his teams to an 11-8 record during his collegiate coaching career following a bye week.  He is 9-3 following a bye as a coach in this conference.  Expect a possible fast start from the club today, as they’ve outscored opponents by a 72-30 margin in the first quarter.

LSU also returns to action following a bye week after suffering its first loss of the season, a 24-17 setback at Auburn.  The Tigers will need some help in order to make a trip to the SEC championship game and will likely need to win out.  “All we can do is control our destiny,” said running back Stevan Ridley.  “We are not going to fold our tent.  We have a great team coming here with one loss.”  In order to pull off this home upset, LSU must get more production out of its 113th-ranked passing unit, as Alabama allows just 113 yards on the the ground.  Remarkably, only seven of LSU’s 23 wins in the series against Alabama have come in Baton Rouge.  The team is 4-12 ATS at home over the past three campaigns.

The Tigers may be primed for a bounce back performance with the team being 14-1 in games following a loss under head coach Les Miles.  LSU has only lost back-to-back games one time under Miles, dropping consecutive weeks to Ole Miss and Arkansas in 2008.  Scoring first may be tough against today’s opponent, but it’s vital, considering the team is 6-0 this year and 42-6 in their last 48 games when being the first to light up the scoreboard.

Bettors should back the Crimson Tide due to their 10-4 ATS mark on the road, while the Tigers are 1-10 ATS in November.