The Early Predictions: LSU Football vs. Alabama Crimson Tide in SEC Showdown

Brian Kelly and the Bayou Bengals look to make a statement in Week 11, keep College Football Playoff hopes alive.

Courtesy of LSU Football.

No. 14 LSU (6-2, 3-1) will host Kalen DeBoer and the Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturday night in Tiger Stadium in a pivotal Southeastern Conference showdown.

It'll be a Top 15 matchup in Baton Rouge with significant postseason implications on the line.

“The loser of this game says goodbye, adios to the season,” SEC Network's Paul Finebaum told 'SportsCenter.' “Not in the literal sense, but in terms of the CFP [College Football Playoff]."

“The loser will have three losses. There’s no way to get back in. There will be an SEC Championship Game. There really won’t be any hope. There’re too many schools competing for those at-large bids.”

What are the current betting odds? What are the early predictions?

A look into the current buzz for Saturday night in Baton Rouge:

The Current Betting Odds: LSU Tigers vs. Alabama Crimson Tide

*(All odds according to DraftKings Sportsbook)*

Spread:
- LSU: (+2.5)
- Alabama: (-2.5)

Moneyline:
- LSU: (+120)
- Alabama: (-142)

Over/Under: 58

The Alabama Crimson Tide are currently 2.5-point favorites heading into the Week 11 clash. A line that hovered around the 1.5 point mark a week ago, Vegas continues leaning towards the Tide as the favorites on Saturday night.

What the Oddsmakers Say:

LSU has received 55% of bets to either capture a victory outright in an upset on Saturday night against the Crimson Tide or to cover the spread in a loss by a field goal or less.

The other 45% of bets that have come in this week believe Alabama will cover the 2.5-point spread and win by a field goal or more.

When looking into the betting spread that Vegas has predicted, it believes that the Crimson Tide will take down the Bayou Bengals by a projected score of 31 to 28 in Baton Rouge on Saturday night.

ESPN's Football Power Index Weighs In:

ESPN's Football Power Index predicts the outcome of each game on the College Football slate each week with the latest results being logged for Week 11.

Now, with this weekend's schedule inching closer, the FPI has placed an expert prediction for Saturday night in Death Valley.

The model heavily leans towards the Alabama Crimson Tide with Kalen DeBoer's club receiving a 69.8% chance to win the Southeastern Conference clash.

With this, the Tigers have received a 30.2% chance of pulling off the upset at home in a prime time matchup.

"In total, the Crimson Tide came out ahead in 13,960 of the index’s calculations of the game, while the Tigers edged out Bama in the other 6,040 predictions. Alabama is projected to be 7.6 points better than LSU on the same field in both teams’ current composition, according to the model’s latest forecast."

It's important to note that Brian Kelly is yet to lose a night game in Baton Rouge to this point, but ESPN's Football Power Index continues heavily leaning on the Crimson Tide to spoil his hot streak.

The Early Prediction: LSU +2.5

Brian Kelly and the LSU Tigers enter Saturday on the outside looking in for a College Football Playoff berth. Sitting at the No. 15 seed, the Bayou Bengals will need a boost in order to clinch postseason opportunities.

Heading into Week 11, the stakes couldn't be higher. Kelly is 13-0 in night games in Tiger Stadium where he hopes to keep his hot streak alive in Baton Rouge.

LSU is a 2.5 point underdog heading into this one where Garrett Nussmeier looks to rebound against the Crimson Tide.

Look for the Tigers to play complementary football, contain Alabama signal-caller Jalen Milroe and take strides in the right direction on special teams.

All eyes will be on the Bayou Bengals and the Tide on Saturday night in Death Valley with kickoff slated for 6:30 p.m. CT.

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