The ESPN Gameday crew will be in Baton Rouge this weekend and a 7:00 CBS game will mark another huge battle of what is becoming  one of the largest rivalries in the country.  LSU vs Alabama will likely decide the SEC western division again this year and maybe even the SEC.  The winner also has a very good shot at finding their way into Miami for the BCS national championship game.

The crimson tide does not have the top 10 wins that LSU has but has looked far more dominant in their victories and are undefeated at 8-0.  Alabama will be heavily favored but you simply can not deny the fact that Saturday night in Tiger Stadiuim brings with it some tiger magic.

Jeremy Hill has been the most recent workhorse for the tiger offense.  He will need to have a huge game if LSU is to defeat #1 Alabama.  Zach Mettenberger will need to have his coming out party if the tigers are going to force the tide defense to guard the entire field which will allow the tiger running backs to have success.

Alabama is one of the top defensive teams in the country and I expect both defenses to force the game into a field position type contest.  The Alabama offense however has been much more impressive than that of the tigers.  TJ Yeldon & Eddie Lacy lead the tide rushing attack which is helped by a offensive line that is rated first in the country.  TJ Yeldon has 93 carries for 649 yards and Eddie Lacy has 109 carries for 596 yards.  The leading receiver is Amari Cooper who has caught 32 balls for 472 yards.  The offense is led by quarterback AJ McCarron who has 122 completions on 177 attempts for a total of 1684 yards, 18 touchdowns, and no interceptions.

The tiger defense has their hands full while the offense must find a way to stay out of 3 and outs both for field position and to give the defense time to rest in between series.  LSU is at home and has the revenge factor working for them after last years 21-0 BCS Championship game loss.

Will it be enough?