IT’S NO. 1 LSU VS. NO. 2 TIDE IN TUSCALOOSA
It’s business as usual, kind of, in a showdown between Southeastern Conference powers.
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama coach Nick Saban didn’t wait to be asked if he approaches a game against the No. 1 ranked team differently than he does other opponents.
“You guys always ask me what are you going to do different this week because you’re playing the No. 1 team in the country,” Saban said Monday. “Well, every game that we play is an important game, especially when you’re playing in the SEC, especially when you’re playing in the division. And this is most certainly an important game.
“But if there was a better way to do it, we’d already be doing it.”
There is no downplaying the importance of Saturday’s showdown between No. 1 LSU at No. 2 Alabama — though the Tide is a 6 ½-point favorite in the battle between the SEC’s last unbeaten teams.
One of them will likely be No. 1 in the College Football Playoff rankings released Tuesday night.
It’s a much-hyped match-up featuring two of the nation’s best offenses and possibly a matchup of dueling Heisman Trophy contenders at quarterback.
Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has a gimpy ankle and his status is unclear.
LSU coach Ed Orgeron freely talks about the stakes, but said the Tigers don’t talk about the stakes. Not to each other, at least.
“The SEC West, going to the SEC championship, having a chance to be in the College Football Playoff, having a chance to win the national championship,” Orgeron said. “We know what’s at stake but we don’t talk about that. … I want our guys loose and relaxed and go play our football game.”
Big games have become old hat at Alabama, and they’re all big in the rivalry between the Southeastern Conference Western Division’s top programs. They’re hardly uncommon at LSU, which already has seven wins over top 10 teams the past two seasons.
It’s not even the first 1 versus 2 regular-season matchup between Alabama and LSU. That came in 2011, when No. 1 LSU won 9-6 in overtime in a game noted for field goals made and otherwise not much.
Alabama won the national title game rematch 21-0.
There is one new twist to the matchup: The high-scoring, pass-happy offenses.
This one could feature two of college football’s top passers, Tagovailoa and LSU’s Joe Burrow. Tagovailoa missed the Arkansas game after having surgery for a high right ankle sprain. He did participate in two practices during last week’s open date. Saban said Tagovailoa’s status will “be a gametime decision.”
Mac Jones started for the Tide against Arkansas.
LSU has already had some gameweek news. Orgeron said Monday that pass-rushing outside linebacker Michael Divinity has left the team for personal reasons.
Divinity’s absence doesn’t change LSU’s goal to end its eight-game losing streak against Alabama, including a 29-0 defeat last season.
FLORIDA STATE: Athletic director David Coburn would like the Seminoles to have a new head football coach by the end of the regular season.
The AD doesn’t seem to be wasting anytime; he doesn’t like the direction the football program is going and wants things to change.
The AD candidly said Monday — 24 hours after Willie Taggart was fired — he didn’t need to wait to see how the last three games of the season went before deciding to replace Taggart because no matter how it played out, a 6-6 season wouldn’t be acceptable.
Coburn and school President John Thrasher felt they needed to move quickly.
“We looked at the pluses and minuses, and we didn’t really see any upside to waiting,” Coburn said. “We wanted to go ahead and get started with a search, see if we could get somebody in here ready to go as quickly as possible. Frankly, 6-6 isn’t good enough, and we didn’t see an advantage to waiting until the end.”
SYRACUSE: Coach Dino Babers has fired defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Brian Ward, effective immediately.
Babers says in a release Sunday from the university that he felt “a change needed to be made at this time.” Defensive ends coach Steve Stanard has been promoted to defensive coordinator on an interim basis.