Florida's offense vs. LSU's defense is the more important match up this Saturday

A lot has been made about Joe Burrow and the LSU offense versus Jonathan Greenard and the Florida defense, but the opposite sides of the ball matter more, here's why.

Douglas DeFelice-USA TODAY Sports

Football is a game of unknowns. 

The stuff that makes sense matters, but the mystery is what defines the sport. It is the coming together of an offensive line you didn't expect. It is the 3-star recruit becoming an All-American, it is the Heisman-candidate quarterback throwing a late-game interception. These are the moments that win and lose college football games, these are the moments that make fans fall in love. 

Saturday night in Death Valley, which features a date between two of the nation's best is not exempt from that. Weird things that none of us can predict will happen, and that is why the match up being less talked about is actually the more important one come 8 p.m. eastern time in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. 

Sure, the Joe Burrow-led side of the ball for LSU against Florida's exceptional defense can have unpredictability, but the sharpness of both sides makes it less likely. Burrow is a different cat from what he was last year, I'm not saying it can't happen, but don't expect him to gift safety Brad Stewart another game-winner.

But Florida's offense is always good for a boneheaded play or two, right? Gator fans know this by now, or at least they should. With quarterback Kyle Trask you are almost guaranteed at least one strip-sack, it comes with him like a manual comes with a car. 

Furthermore, this LSU defense is very overrated. 

I don't even mean that from a perspective of people saying that unit is a world-beater, I mean the Tiger defense is overrated by people not admitting that is borderline bad. 

Vanderbilt scored 38 points on this team. Those are the same Commodores that put up an embarrassing six points to an Ole Miss squad that barely has a defense in the first place. 

This is the side of the ball where this game can get weird. What if Freddie Swain catches another 10-yard pass and takes it for 50 more? What if Grant Delpit and Kristian Fulton, as good as they have been, let Van Jefferson or Tyrie Cleveland get behind them one time and UF hits a 70-yarder? 

Conversely, what if Lamical Perine gets hit like Dameon Pierce did last week against Auburn and he fumbles? What if Jean Delance still can't block a soul? 

Obviously, these huge plays could happen on either side of the ball, but again, it is much more likely that it happens while the Gator offense and LSU defense is on the field. We get so caught up in talking about the more talented side of each team when we forget that the game-defining play will probably happen on the other side.