Lane Kiffin is 0-5 against Alabama

LSU's yardage edge, Alabama's coverage units

Against Power 4 opponents, LSU is +113 in point margin, fifth nationally and first in the SEC. Alabama is +98 in the same games, eighth nationally and third in the SEC. That leaves LSU 15 points ahead of Alabama in total margin.

Against Power 4 opponents, LSU gains 470 yards a game, fourth nationally, and allows 289, sixth. Alabama gains 401 and allows 354, ranking 25th and 26th. The gap between yards gained and yards allowed is far wider for LSU than for Alabama.

Against Power 4 opponents, LSU is penalized 46 yards a game, 25th nationally, to 55 for Alabama, 40th.

Alabama's kick coverage ranks third nationally against Power 4 opponents, allowing 12.8 yards a return on 8 returns. Its punt coverage ranks seventh, at 2.3 yards a return on 7 returns. LSU allows 19.8 yards a kick return on 6 returns, 31st, and 10.8 yards a punt return on 6 returns, 47th.

Where it's decided

When Alabama has the ball, the best scoring offense in the SEC meets one of the stingiest defenses in the country. Against Power 4 opponents, Alabama scores 36.9 points a game, sixth nationally, and LSU allows 16.7, also sixth. LSU stops 72.6% of the drives it faces, fifth nationally, and allows 191 passing yards and 98 rushing yards a game, ranking 12th and 10th.

The LSU defense has bent against the best offenses it has seen. In its losses to Ole Miss and Kentucky, both top-25 offenses, LSU allowed success on 44.3% of snaps, against 34.6% in all its games. Alabama's offense succeeds on 47.6% of snaps against Power 4 teams, 12th nationally and up from 40.5% last season.

Keelon Russell leads Alabama in passing yards with 2,057, third in the SEC, with 15 touchdowns, 5 interceptions and a 67 completion percentage. Lotzeir Brooks leads the Crimson Tide in receiving yards with 488 and in catches with 29. Rico Scott is second in receiving yards with 434 and has 3 touchdowns. Daniel Hill leads Alabama in rushing yards with 332, and Trae'shawn Brown is second with 324 and 5 touchdowns.

When LSU has the ball, the Tigers bring the SEC's best passing game against Power 4 opponents, 300 yards a game and fifth nationally. LSU converts 52.4% of its third downs, third nationally, and succeeds on 53.7% of its passes, second. Alabama allows 231 passing yards a game, 38th, and opponents succeed on 42.6% of their passes, 45th.

LSU scores on 89.3% of its own trips, 22nd nationally.

Against Power 4 opponents, Alabama's run defense is its strength, with opponents succeeding on 33.9% of runs, sixth nationally. LSU runs for 171 yards a game, 14th. Dilin Jones leads LSU in rushing yards with 659 and has 6 touchdowns, and Sam Leavitt is second with 324. Winston Watkins Jr. leads the Tigers with 37 catches, for 487 yards.

LSU replaced every passing yard

LSU returned none of its 2025 passing yards. Garrett Nussmeier's 1,927 left for the NFL, and Michael Van Buren Jr.'s 1,010 transferred out. Sam Leavitt arrived from Arizona State as a 5-star transfer, and he leads LSU with 2,171 passing yards, second in the SEC, with 17 touchdowns, 8 interceptions and a 70.3 completion percentage.

LSU scores 40.1 points a game in all games, up from 22.8 in a 7-6 season last year. The LSU offense succeeds on 50.4% of snaps against Power 4 opponents, up from 37.5% last season.

Leavitt and Harris set career highs at Auburn

In LSU's last game, at Auburn on Oct. 24, Sam Leavitt threw for a career-high 387 yards, topping his previous best of 344 against Louisiana Tech. Leavitt's passing yards have risen three straight games, from 176 to 275, 289 and 387, and he has thrown a touchdown pass in 15 straight games. He is tied for the SEC lead with 25 total touchdowns.

LSU's Jackson Harris had a career-high 178 receiving yards at Auburn, topping his previous best of 163 against Texas A&M. Harris has raised his receiving yards three straight games, from 37 to 54, 85 and 178. He leads LSU in receiving yards with 634, is tied for the SEC lead with 7 touchdown catches and leads the SEC at 17.6 yards a catch.

Umanmielen ranks among the FBS leaders

LSU's Princewill Umanmielen transferred from Ole Miss as a 5-star and leads the Tigers with 9 sacks, tied for third in FBS. Umanmielen's 13 tackles for loss are also tied for third in FBS. LSU returned 41% of its 2025 sacks, and Umanmielen's 9 from last season led the 17.5 the Tigers brought in through transfers.

Alabama wins when it holds teams to 17

Alabama is 155-1 since 2008 when allowing 17 points or fewer, and the one loss came against LSU in 2011. Alabama allowed 20 points to Georgia and 26 to Tennessee in its two losses this season.

Against Power 4 opponents, Alabama is +7 in turnover margin, fifth nationally and second in the SEC. LSU is -1 in the same games, 47th nationally.

DeBoer's record, two draft classes

Kalen DeBoer is 21-8 as a head coach against ranked teams.

Alabama had 10 players drafted, one at each of 10 positions including an offensive tackle and a center, with 3 in the first two rounds. Offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor went 12th overall to Miami, Ty Simpson went 13th to Los Angeles, and receiver Germie Bernard went in the second round to Pittsburgh. Alabama returns 9% of its 2025 passing yards, with Simpson's 3,567 among the 3,582 that left for the NFL.

LSU had 7 players drafted, including 2 wide receivers, with 1 in the first two rounds. That one was cornerback Mansoor Delane, sixth overall to Kansas City.

Alabama added 4-star transfers Devan Thompkins from USC, Noah Rogers from NC State, Nick Brooks from Texas and Ty Haywood from Michigan. LSU brought in offensive tackle Jordan Seaton from Colorado as a 5-star, plus Ty Benefield from Boise State and Eugene Wilson III from Florida.

Caleb Woodson leads Alabama in tackles with 63, and Yhonzae Pierre is tied for the team lead in sacks with 3.5. TJ Dottery leads LSU in tackles with 60. Alabama's Conor Talty ranks third in the SEC with 69 points, and Alabama has made 272 straight extra points, dating to 2021.

Who was out last time

The SEC availability report for this game is not out yet. Alabama linebacker Cayden Jones and defensive lineman Jeremiah Beaman were listed Out on the SEC report for each of Alabama's last 6 games, and linebacker Desmond Umeozulu for the last 5.

Alabama offensive lineman Racin Delgatty, receiver Ryan Coleman-Williams and defensive lineman Terrance Green, an Oregon transfer, were listed Out for the last 2 games. Alabama defensive back Dre Kirkpatrick Jr. and running back EJ Crowell were listed Out against Texas A&M.

LSU receiver Phillip Wright III was listed Out on the SEC report for LSU's last 5 games, and safety Dashawn Spears for the last 4. LSU linebackers Charles Ross II and Whit Weeks were listed Out for the last 3 games, and defensive tackle Richard Anderson against Auburn.

Alabama has owned the series and Baton Rouge

Alabama leads the series 58-26-5 since 1902. LSU is 9-30-2 at home against Alabama.

Alabama last won in Baton Rouge in 2024, a 9-4 season in which Jalen Milroe won the William V. Campbell Trophy. That LSU team also went 9-4, with offensive lineman Will Campbell an All-American.

Alabama won the last meeting 20-9 at home in 2025, when Ty Simpson threw for 277 yards. That Alabama team went 11-4 with offensive lineman Kadyn Proctor an All-American, and LSU went 7-6 with Mansoor Delane a unanimous All-American.

Since 2004, Alabama and LSU have gone to overtime five times, and LSU has won 3. The most recent came in 2022, when LSU went 10-4 and Alabama went 11-2 behind unanimous All-American Will Anderson Jr., winner of the Bednarik, Nagurski, Lombardi and Lott awards.

Three things to watch

Kiffin against his old employer: the former Alabama offensive coordinator is still looking for his first win over the Crimson Tide.

Russell against Umanmielen: Russell leads the SEC at 9.3 yards a pass attempt and faces LSU's top pass rusher.

LSU's path in a close game: against Power 4 opponents, the Tigers hold the ball 32:07 a game, 12th nationally, to Alabama's 29:34, and they have outscored those opponents 61-3 in the third quarter.