Alabama spent the five days after the first College Football Playoff rankings came out facing criticism for landing at No. 5. On Saturday, the Crimson Tide answered on the field, beating Lane Kiffin’s LSU team in Baton Rouge and dealing a serious blow to the Tigers’ playoff chances.
Much of the debate had focused on Alabama being ranked eight places above Tennessee, even though the Volunteers had beaten the Tide in Knoxville last month. At the same time, questions about Kalen DeBoer’s team and its uneven performances had become hard to ignore. LSU supporters, meanwhile, thought Kiffin’s team was beginning to find its stride.
That picture changed quickly. LSU had spent more than $40 million assembling its roster, including through the transfer portal, but now has three losses with its playoff hopes looking increasingly slim. Alabama, by contrast, showed the kind of potential that could make it a national title contender.
The Tide looked much closer to the team the playoff committee had ranked fifth, particularly after halftime. The return of Ryan Coleman-Williams and several other starters may have helped, but Alabama also played with fewer of the lapses that had defined some of its earlier games.
In front of more than 100,000 fans at Tiger Stadium, freshman quarterback Keelon Russell delivered a breakthrough performance. He threw for more than 200 yards and three touchdowns, while offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb gave him the tools to put Alabama in position to win.
The Tide ultimately came away with a 31-13 victory in Death Valley. Alabama’s defense limited LSU to one touchdown across four trips to the red zone, frustrating the Tigers even when they managed to move the ball. Kiffin could be seen reacting with exasperation along the sideline during the second half.
Alabama then scored 21 unanswered points to put the game out of reach. LSU now has a difficult matchup ahead, hosting a Texas team that looked stronger in its most recent outing. The Tigers could still pull off an upset, but their performance against Alabama offered little reassurance about how they might handle Texas’ defense.
For a while, LSU made the contest feel uncertain. But by the final quarter, the Tigers’ offense had stalled, and Kiffin’s record against Alabama as a head coach stood at 0-6.
The pregame appearance of Olivia Dunne and Paul Skenes alongside Kiffin during Tiger Walk drew attention online. The more consequential image for LSU, though, was Alabama winning the battle up front after spending the week being picked apart for its weaknesses.
Alabama made a forceful statement on a night when plenty of people were questioning its ranking. Now the Tide look like a team worth watching closely as the playoff selection approaches.
