The initial College Football Playoff rankings were released on Tuesday, but change is already coming as two teams in the top four square off this weekend in the biggest SEC matchup of the season to date.
The Alabama Crimson Tide welcome the LSU Tigers to Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa Saturday with all sorts of postseason implications on the line. LSU controls the No. 2 spot and Alabama is ranked No. 4 in the initial CFP rankings, which is different from where each team ranks in the AP Top 25 poll.
LSU hits the road with a perfect record through the first seven games of the season. The Tigers are 3-0 against top 25 teams this season but haven’t been played their best on the road, which should cause concern for this weekend’s monster showdown. LSU has had no issues defeating Auburn, South Carolina and Florida at home but took a narrow victory over Mississippi State on the road in Week 2. Two weeks later the Tigers defeated a middling Syracuse team by 10 points and weren’t as dominant as some had hoped.
Alabama had a costly hiccup in a 43-37 loss to Ole Miss during Week 3 but has been sharp since. The Crimson Tide defeated Wisconsin by 18 points to open the season and went on to beat Georgia and Texas A&M on the road by 28 and 18, respectively. They would fight to put down Arkansas and Tennessee at home, staving off two relatively close games to go up 7-1 on the season.
Fans hoping to attend this weekend’s affair at Bryant-Denny Stadium will be paying big for tickets on the secondary market. According to secondary market ticket aggregator TiqIQ.com, Alabama v. LSU tickets have an average price of $320.38 with a get-in price of $154. The average price reached its lowest pit on October 2nd at $294.67 but vaulted up to its peak at $399.64 on October 27th following four straight wins from each school. The average price has trickled down since then, with more movement expected as the day of the game approaches.
The scene in Tuscaloosa will be festive per usual as the Crimson Tide bring one of the top tailgating scenes in the country. Fans from either side needing to stock up on team-themed tailgating necessities will find everything possible on TailgateGiant.com. From themed tents, corn hole boards, grilling equipment, flags and other pregame necessities, TailGateGiant.com will help fans represent their team to the highest level possible.
When watching at Bryant-Denny Stadium, fans will have their eyes on two players that have shaped the narrative for college football’s “year of the running back”. Leonard Fournette and Derrick Henry are two Heisman contenders that are complete backs that carry each team’s offense. Fournette has 176 attempts resulting in 1,352 yards and 15 touchdowns, averaging 7.7 yards per carry. Henry has 180 attempts for 1,044 yards but is right next to Fournette when it comes to hitting pay dirt with 14.
