LSU has a chance to make the leap into playoff contention this fall, but if that’s going to happen, coach Brian Kelly’s team will likely need to repeat as SEC West champions.
The Tigers earned that crown last year in large part thanks to an upset over Alabama in Baton Rouge. If they’re going to win the division again in 2023, the road will go through Tuscaloosa and a Crimson Tide team that has quite a few questions heading into the season.
It’s the biggest game in an action-packed SEC schedule for LSU and arguably its most crucial all season long. It shouldn’t come as much surprise that On3 tabbed it as the most important conference game for LSU.
The Tigers have a schedule chalked with land mines as they hope to return to the College Football Playoff this fall. Brian Kelly’s team is projected to be the preseason pick to return to the SEC Championship Game — and that likely means beating Alabama for the second-straight season.
LSU will have several weeks to prepare for the Tide this fall, too, with a non-conference home game against Army in late October and then a bye week before its trip to Tuscaloosa. If the Tigers can topple the Tide in consecutive seasons, then it could signal a true changing of the guard at the top of the SEC.
On3 also picked that early November showdown as the most important game on the SEC slate for coach Nick Saban’s team.
It has been a dozen years since Alabama didn’t win the SEC West in consecutive seasons, and in the final year of divisions this fall, the Tide’s home game against LSU — always one of the best games on the SEC schedule each fall — will likely determine who will represent the West in Atlanta come December.
Alabama is looking for revenge after losing to the Tigers in 2022. Both teams will be coming off an idle date, and both programs are considered among the Top 5 preseason contenders for the national title this fall.
The SEC West looks like an open race between Alabama and LSU, and when the two face at Bryant-Denny Stadium, there’s a good chance it will be for a spot in Atlanta.
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