LSU tried to get cute before kickoff, but Alabama walked into Tiger Stadium and handled it anyway.
Ahead of the Crimson Tide’s Week 10 trip to Baton Rouge, LSU had the visiting locker room painted pink - a psychological jab meant to unsettle the opponent. It was the same kind of move Lane Kiffin has leaned on before, and it wasn’t even a one-off for Alabama. LSU used the pink setup earlier this season, painting the visitor’s locker room ahead of its Week 4 game against Texas A&M on Sept. 26, then going further when Mississippi State came to town on Oct. 17 and finding the entire visitor’s locker room - benches, chairs and all - painted pink.
None of it rattled Alabama.
The Crimson Tide jumped in front 10-3 by halftime and spent only two minutes and eight seconds of game time trailing in a 31-13 win over LSU. Alabama improved to 7-2 overall and 5-2 in the SEC, while LSU’s College Football Playoff hopes took a major hit.
Keelon Russell was the difference once the Tide found their rhythm. He threw three touchdown passes across a stretch of four Alabama drives, turning a competitive game into one that quickly got away from the Tigers.
Kiffin’s tactic traces back to the late Hayden Fry, the Iowa coaching legend who introduced pink visiting locker rooms in 1979 as a way to gain a mental edge at Kinnick Stadium. Iowa still uses the look today, and Kiffin carried the idea with him during his time at Ole Miss.
Alabama now turns to Vanderbilt in Week 11, with the Crimson Tide set to visit FirstBank Stadium in Nashville. Kickoff is scheduled for 11:45 a.m. CT, and the game will air on SEC Network.
Here’s Alabama’s 2026 schedule, all times Central:
Sept. 5: vs. East Carolina Pirates (W, 48-10)
Sept. 12: at Kentucky Wildcats (W, 45-17)
Sept. 19: vs.
Florida State Seminoles (W, 50-36)
Sept. 26: vs.
South Carolina Gamecocks (W, 49-18)
Oct. 3: at Mississippi State Bulldogs (W, 56-23)
Oct. 10: vs. Georgia Bulldogs (L, 20-17)
Oct. 17: at Tennessee Volunteers (L, 26-10)
Oct. 24: vs.
Texas A&M Aggies (W, 31-20)
Nov. 7: at LSU Tigers (W, 31-13)
Nov. 14: at Vanderbilt Commodores, 11:45 a.m., SEC Network
Nov. 21: vs.
Chattanooga Mocs, 1 p.m., SEC Network+
Nov. 28: vs.
Auburn Tigers, TBA
Alabama is No. 5 in the CFP rankings and No. 7 in the US LBM Coaches Poll.
In Other News...
Alabama Stayed In The SEC Hunt Thanks To One Huge Return
Alabama left Tiger Stadium with a result that mattered far more than the yardage chart suggested, beating LSU 31-13 to move to 7-2 overall and 5-2 in the SEC. Even while getting outgained and losing the first-down battle, the Crimson Tide leaned on a defense that repeatedly bent without breaking, holding LSU to one touchdown and two field goals while coming up with key fourth-down stops that kept the game from tilting.
Ryan Coleman-Williams gave the offense the kind of spark that can change a November race, returning from injury and making an impact in the return game before adding a touchdown run. With the win, Alabama kept itself squarely in the SEC hunt and strengthened its College Football Playoff position, the kind of payoff that can make a tough road night feel a lot bigger than the final score alone. [Read more 🡒]
Alabamas SEC Title Path Now Runs Through A Messy Tiebreaker Race
With three weeks left in the SEC regular season, Alabamas path to Atlanta is starting to look less like a simple race and more like a math problem. The latest look at the conference standings lays out how the Crimson Tide and Georgia can still control the title game picture, but it also shows how much depends on the results of the games still ahead and the order in which the league sorts out ties.
If Georgia wins out, the second spot in the SEC championship game could come down to a tiebreaker chain involving Alabama, Tennessee, Texas and Kentucky, with several scenarios still alive depending on how the remaining schedule breaks. An unofficial SEC tiebreaker simulator is helping map out those possibilities, but for Alabama the larger point is clear enough: the Tide can still get there, even if the route now runs through a messy set of assumptions and a few results they will not control. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Just Turned Its LSU Win Into A Bigger Playoff Debate
Kevin Costners appearance on the Tiger Walk before LSUs 31-13 loss to Alabama added a little Hollywood sheen to an already high-stakes Saturday in Tuscaloosa. Paul Finebaum even weighed in on Costner being there alongside Lane Kiffin, but once the game kicked off, the Crimson Tide made the biggest statement of all by controlling the moments that mattered most.
Alabamas defense kept turning LSU away on fourth down, and the Tigers finished 0 for 4 in those situations while struggling to cash in on scoring chances. For Alabama, the win did more than settle a rivalry game in the moment, it pushed the playoff conversation a little louder, with the Tide looking more and more like a team built for November pressure. [Read more 🡒]