Joel Klatt isn’t buying Alabama in Baton Rouge.
With the Crimson Tide headed into a Week 10 showdown at LSU, the Fox Sports analyst made it clear he sees a rough night coming for Kalen DeBoer’s team. Alabama enters the game 6-2 and ranked No. 9 in both the US LBM Coaches Poll and the AP Top 25, while LSU sits at 6-2 and No.
- In the College Football Playoff rankings, Alabama landed at No. 5 and LSU at No.
That setup didn’t impress Klatt. On Thursday’s edition of his video podcast and FS1 show, he called it a bad draw for Alabama and didn’t soften the point.
"Bad matchup for Alabama in this one. I think it’s a terrible matchup.
Because if Kalen DeBoer gets into a big game, typically, they throw the football a lot and they don’t run it very well. When that happens, they have to protect their quarterback, and if they can’t protect their quarterback, they don’t win.
And LSU is a terrific pass rushing team."
The numbers back up why Klatt is leaning that way. LSU defensive coordinator Blake Baker’s defense is second in the nation with 34 sacks and ranks tied for third nationally in total defense at 258.1 yards allowed per game. Defensive end Princewill Umanmielen has 8.5 sacks, which is tied for fourth in FBS.
Klatt also pointed to Alabama’s issues up front and on the ground. He said the Tide’s offensive line hasn’t been the steady answer some might expect, especially after pressure showed up against Tennessee and Georgia.
"You would think that Bama, on the offensive line, would do a good job of protecting their quarterback. Not the case," Klatt said. "We saw pressure against Tennessee, pressure against Georgia, and LSU in the pass rush might be better than both of those teams."
He wasn’t optimistic about Alabama’s run game, either. The Crimson Tide were held to 54 rushing yards in their 26-10 loss at Tennessee on Oct. 17, then managed only 68 rushing yards in a 31-20 win over Texas A&M a week later. Klatt also noted that Alabama has struggled to run the ball in Death Valley before.
"Each of the last two times that they played LSU in Death Valley, Alabama’s been held under 70 yards rushing," Klatt added. "And (those were) even with better Alabama teams and teams that are more willing to run the football."
On the other side, Klatt thinks LSU has enough to make this a long night for Alabama, especially if the Tigers stay clean with the football. LSU’s two losses both came by one score, falling 32-24 at Ole Miss in Week 3 and 35-34 at Kentucky on a two-point conversion in overtime on Oct. 10.
Klatt said quarterback Sam Leavitt has been playing at a high level since that Kentucky loss. In LSU’s 31-0 win over Mississippi State, Leavitt threw for 289 yards and four touchdowns. He followed that with 388 yards and three touchdowns in a 38-7 win at Auburn.
"He’s taking care of the ball. He gets Trey’Dez Green back.
You’ve got some guys back for Alabama (but) I don’t know how much they’re going to give you. Ryan Coleman-Williams is going to be back.
Zabien Brown might be back. I just think LSU, they’re going to be a team that’s going to be very difficult to beat in this one."
Coleman-Williams was listed as questionable on Wednesday’s SEC availability report.
Klatt’s final call was blunt. He expects LSU’s pass rush to hit Keelon Russell hard enough to swing the game, and he thinks the Tigers can pull off the upset at home.
"I’ve got LSU 30, Alabama 17."
He’s been mostly right on Alabama this season, going 4-1 in his picks involving the Tide. He correctly called Alabama wins over Kentucky, Florida State and Mississippi State, and the loss to Georgia. His miss came in the 31-17 Tennessee game, which he had projected as an Alabama win.
Klatt also used the CFP rankings reveal to take aim at the selection committee, especially with Alabama sitting at No. 5 despite two losses. He contrasted that with the 6.5-point spread favoring LSU.
"Oh my goodness! You mean Vegas doesn’t agree with the committee, either?
No, they don’t. No one does.
Literally no one. Not even Bama fans.
Maybe Paul (Finebaum)? I don’t know."
He kept going from there.
"He added that the committee thinks Alabama is "the greatest team since sliced bread" and continued mocking the panel:
"Did they lose two games. No way.
No way. It was like a figment of our imagination, guys.
They didn’t lose two games. No way.
They beat Mississippi State, who was undefeated at the time."
The Alabama-LSU game is part of a packed Week 10 slate that also includes No. 1 Miami at No.
4 Notre Dame, No. 3 Utah against No.
7 BYU, No. 2 Georgia at No.
12 Ole Miss, and No. 10 Texas at No.
19 Missouri.
Kickoff for Alabama-LSU is set for 2:30 p.m. CT Saturday at Tiger Stadium.
The game will air on ABC, 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 Chris Stewart and Tyler Watts, will be available on SiriusXM channel 84 and The Varsity App.
Alabama’s 2026 schedule now shows a 6-2 record, with losses to Georgia and Tennessee and a road trip to LSU up next.
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