LSU Gets Its Biggest SEC Reality Check Yet Against Alabama

LSU has spent the last two weeks looking the part, rolling past Mississippi State and Auburn by convincing margins. But the Tigers’ résumé still has a gap in it, and that gap matters heading into Saturday’s showdown with Alabama.

Mississippi State and Auburn both came in without winning records, while LSU’s two losses came against Kentucky and Ole Miss, two power-conference teams projected to finish with eight regular-season wins. That’s why the visit from the Crimson Tide carries so much weight. Beat Alabama, and LSU strengthens its case as one of the SEC’s top four teams and as a College Football Playoff team.

That game is part of a Saturday slate that should reshape the league picture. Eight SEC teams have fewer than three losses, and those teams are all facing one another.

Missouri hosts Texas in the early afternoon. LSU gets Alabama in the mid-afternoon.

Then Ole Miss welcomes Georgia at night, while Tennessee hosts Kentucky.

By the time the dust settles, the SEC standings could look very different. If Georgia and Kentucky both lose on the road, there could be six league teams sitting on two defeats.

If both win away from home, only four SEC teams would have fewer than two losses. Either way, the playoff conversation for SEC teams gets a lot clearer after these four games.

Here’s how the league stacks up entering Week 10.

TIER 1

1. GEORGIA (7-1): Defeated Florida 27-8; next up - at Ole Miss
2. KENTUCKY (7-1): Open date; next up - at Tennessee
3. OLE MISS (6-2): Defeated Auburn 45-15; next up - Georgia at home
4. LSU (6-2): Open date; next up - Alabama at home

Georgia and Kentucky both get a chance to show they belong at the top of the SEC, but neither draw is easy. The Bulldogs go on the road to face Ole Miss, while Kentucky heads to Tennessee.

Both home teams have a real shot to shake up the top of the standings. LSU, meanwhile, gets another crack at a quality power-conference opponent.

TIER 2

1. TENNESSEE (6-2): Open date; next up - Kentucky at home
2. ALABAMA (6-2): Open date; next up - at LSU
3. TEXAS (6-2): Defeated Mississippi State 31-3; next up - at Missouri
4. MISSOURI (6-2): Defeated Arkansas 34-10; next up - Texas at home

Tennessee and Missouri are the two home teams in this critical stretch. The Volunteers need to bounce back after their disappointing loss at South Carolina two Saturdays ago.

Missouri still doesn’t have an eye-catching win on its ledger through the first two months. And for Alabama and Texas, a third loss would invite plenty of criticism.

Both are on the road, and both are trying to avoid that kind of setback.

TIER 3

1. SOUTH CAROLINA (5-3): Defeated Oklahoma 42-25; next up - Texas A&M at home
2. FLORIDA (5-3): Lost to Georgia 27-8; next up - Oklahoma at home
3. OKLAHOMA (4-4): Lost to South Carolina 42-25; next up - at Florida
4. AUBURN (4-4): Lost to Ole Miss 45-15; next up - Arkansas at home

South Carolina has become the team nobody wants to see right now. After losing at home in overtime to Kentucky, the Gamecocks have ripped off three straight wins over Florida, Tennessee and Oklahoma.

Shane Beamer is on the way to saving his job. On the other side of that coin, Brent Venables is under pressure at Oklahoma, and the Sooners would be hard-pressed to finish with a winning record if they can’t beat Florida.

Auburn also needs a win to become bowl eligible.

TIER 4

1. MISSISSIPPI STATE (4-4): Lost to Texas 31-3; next up - Vanderbilt at home
2. TEXAS A&M (4-4): Open date; next up - at South Carolina
3. ARKANSAS (3-5): Lost to Missouri 34-10; next up - at Auburn
4. VANDERBILT (3-5): Open date; next up - at Mississippi State

Texas A&M has to find a strong November run if it wants to keep this season from becoming a total disappointment. That starts with a tough trip to face a South Carolina team that’s playing its best football of the year. Vanderbilt, meanwhile, gets one last shot at an SEC win when it travels to Mississippi State, where the Bulldogs are dealing with injuries on offense.

In Other News...

LSU Just Got A Stark Reminder About SEC Eligibility Rules

Missouri is dealing with an eligibility issue that doubles as a warning shot for the rest of the SEC. Guard CJ Gunn has been ruled ineligible by the conference after signing a professional contract and receiving payment to play in the Canadian Elite Basketball League, a move that runs afoul of the leagues rule on college basketball players who turn pro after enrolling.

Coach Dennis Gates confirmed the ruling and said there is no appeal, leaving Missouri without a path to get Gunn back on the floor through conference channels. The timing also shuts the door on the G League draft, a reminder that these eligibility questions can quickly spill beyond one roster and into a much wider set of consequences for teams trying to navigate the modern college game. [Read more 🡒]

LSU Fans Will Notice What Alabama Is Worried About In Death Valley

Keelon Russells development has become part of the conversation in Tuscaloosa at exactly the wrong time for Alabama, with a trip to Death Valley looming and Kalen DeBoer trying to keep his young quarterback on track. DeBoer has leaned into the idea that Russell has to keep learning from past experiences while staying composed once the game starts, a reminder that Alabama is still sorting through some of the same growing pains that tend to show up when the pressure rises.

For LSU fans, that is the kind of worry worth noting because it speaks to what Alabama thinks could swing a marquee SEC showdown. The Tigers get the Crimson Tide at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC, and the buildup already suggests the visitors know they will need steadiness from Russell if they want to handle the noise, the stage and the challenge that comes with playing in Baton Rouge. [Read more 🡒]

LSU Could Be Getting An Important Frontcourt Boost Sooner Than Expected

LSUs frontcourt could get a welcome boost sooner than expected, with Noa Morro now trending toward a return as early as next week. Kim Mulkey said the senior has been back on the floor in practice and taking part in pregame warm-ups, a notable step for a player who had surgery in early September to address a stress fracture.

Morro brings a veteran presence to the Tigers after a career that included professional experience in Spain and international play for Spanish national teams before arriving in Baton Rouge. For LSU, getting her back into the mix would add depth and experience inside at a time when every healthy body matters, and the next step will be seeing how quickly she can work back into game shape once she is cleared. [Read more 🡒]