Saturday in Baton Rouge has the feel of a swing game, and Alabama is right in the middle of it.
The Crimson Tide head to Tiger Stadium for a Week 10 matchup with LSU, with both teams coming off byes and both carrying momentum from wins on Oct. 24.
Alabama sits at 6-2 overall and 4-2 in the SEC, ranked No. 9 in both the US LBM Coaches Poll and the AP Top 25, while also checking in at No. 5 in the College Football Playoff rankings. LSU is 4-2 and 3-2, ranked No. 15 in the polls and No. 14 in the CFP standings.
Alabama’s last outing was the kind of game that can steady a season. Down 17-14 entering the fourth quarter against Texas A&M, the Crimson Tide flipped it with two Keelon Russell touchdown passes and finished off a 31-20 win. The defense closed the door late, forcing three straight three-and-outs in the final 15 minutes to end a two-game skid after losses to Georgia and Tennessee.
Russell finished 19 of 30 for 311 yards and three touchdown passes. Rico Scott was the big play threat on the outside, catching six passes for a career-high 156 yards.
LSU was just as convincing in its most recent game, rolling past Auburn 38-17 at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Sam Leavitt was the engine there, accounting for four touchdowns and going 32 of 45 for 388 yards with three passing scores.
The betting and prediction market leans toward the home team. USA TODAY Sports’ seven-member panel - Paul Myerberg, Matt Hayes, Eddie Timanus, Erick Smith, Jordan Mendoza, Blake Toppmeyer and John Brice - split on the game, but LSU got the majority of the votes. Myerberg, Hayes, Toppmeyer, Brice and Timanus picked the Tigers, while Mendoza and Smith went with Alabama.
Hayes and Brice have been the most accurate among the group this season, each correctly picking 125 of 157 games. Myerberg and Mendoza are next best at 123 correct picks.
The Tigers are also favored by oddsmakers by 6.5 points, and both ESPN’s SP+ and FPI ratings point to an LSU win. Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt picked LSU, too.
History still belongs to Alabama overall. The Crimson Tide lead the series 58-27-5 and are 28-9-2 in Baton Rouge since Tiger Stadium opened in 1924. Since January 2012, Alabama is 13-2 against LSU.
The recent run of the rivalry has tilted heavily toward the Crimson Tide, with the last 10 meetings producing a long list of Alabama wins, including last season’s 20-9 result in Tuscaloosa and a 42-13 Alabama victory in Baton Rouge in 2024. LSU’s most recent win in the series came in 2022, a 32-31 thriller in Baton Rouge.
Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. CT Saturday at Tiger Stadium.
ABC will carry the game, with Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit on the call. Holly Rowe and Laura Rutledge will report from the sidelines.
The Crimson Tide Sports Network feed, featuring Alabama radio voice Chris Stewart and Tyler Watts, will also be available on SiriusXM Channel 84 and The Varsity App.
Alabama’s 2026 schedule now shows the trip to LSU, followed by games at Vanderbilt on Nov. 14, against Chattanooga on Nov. 21 and against Auburn on Nov. 28.
In Other News...
Alabama Fans Should Be Watching This Spain Park WR Closely
AL.coms latest Best in Bama rankings put a spotlight on the quarterback-receiver combinations driving some of Alabama high school footballs most intriguing offenses, and the list naturally has Crimson Tide fans looking beyond the usual powerhouses. Thompson and Selma grabbed the top billing, with Alabama commit Trent Seaborn pairing with uncommitted Dedrick Kimbrough for Thompson and freshman quarterback Cole Moody throwing to Alabama commit Cedrick Simmons at Selma.
Spain Park also made the cut, thanks to Barrett Price and quarterback Nash Davis, a tandem that has become worth tracking for more than just local bragging rights. Price has been actively recruiting and already has offers from multiple colleges, which makes his profile especially interesting for Alabama fans keeping tabs on in-state pass catchers and the next wave of offensive talent. [Read more 🡒]
Lane Kiffins Alabama Problem Just Got Bigger In The Playoff
Lane Kiffins history against Alabama has been one of the more stubborn subplots of his head-coaching career, and it gets another layer now with a playoff game looming between No. 5 Alabama and No. 14 LSU. Kiffin has gone 0-5 against the Crimson Tide as a head coach, a run that has followed him through different stops and different stakes, and it has made Alabama a particularly frustrating matchup whenever his teams have crossed paths with the Tide.
Now the setting is even bigger, with LSU favored and the result carrying real weight for both sides of the coaching tree. For Alabamas staff, it is another high-pressure test against a familiar opponent with a familiar face on the other sideline. For Kiffin, it is another chance to finally change a storyline that has followed him for years, and one that would only grow louder if this one goes the wrong way. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Faces A Brutal Road Test That Could Decide Everything
A trip to Baton Rouge in Week 10 already carries enough weight, but this one arrives with even more on the line because Alabama and LSU both enter with two losses. The matchup has the feel of a separator game, the kind that can reshape the rest of the season in a hurry, and the Tide will need cleaner football than they have shown at times if they want to leave with control of their own path.
Keelon Russell sits at the center of Alabamas hopes, while LSU brings a pass rush that can force a quarterback into hurried decisions and ugly mistakes. Add in the Tides issues with penalties and injuries, and the margin for error gets thin fast, especially against a rival that has made a habit of turning high-stakes games into pressure cookers. [Read more 🡒]