Bigger than one coach: The LSU-Alabama football game has moved beyond just the ire that Tiger fans have about the Crimson Tide’s coach, so Mark McCarter, a columnist for the Huntsville (Ala.) Times says it’s time to drop the “Saban Bowl” tag. McCarter says the talk around Saturday’s contest isn’t about Saban, but “what it should be about: A monumental football game.” For the first time in 10 years, LSU and Alabama are both ranked in the top 10 going into the game, with a trip to the SEC Championship Game—and a shot at BCS championship—on the line. “Nothing’s forgotten and little is forgiven among the LSU fans, but life has moved on,” McCarter says. Read the column here. The LSU-Alabama game kicks off at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa in a game that will be televised on CBS. Alabama is a 7-point favorite, according to Las Vegas sports books.
Lots of demand for matchup: As many as 25 players in Saturday’s LSU-Alabama game could be on pro football teams next season, the largest collection of talent at any college game this year, reports the Birmingham (Ala.) News. Gil Brandt, the former director of player personnel for the Dallas Cowboys told the newspaper he expects 14 Tigers will be in the pros next year, along with 11 members of the Crimson Tide. And Brandt isn’t counting underclassmen. “Twenty-five is a very high number,” says Brandt, who says LSU running back Charles Scott and wide receiver Brandon LaFell will be first-round picks, along with Alabama nose guard Terrence Cody. All that talent has pushed up demand for the game. The News says tickets had an average price online of $413 each. Only the LSU-Florida and USC-Notre Dame games brought in a higher price.
Stars from the Lone Star state: LSU has been successful at tapping into Texas high school football talent, even beating out major players such as Oklahoma and Texas A&M, says ESPN.com recruiting analyst J.C. Shurburtt. “The Tigers currently are the only team in the SEC with a legitimate shot at elite Texas talent. That’s a serious advantage when you already are in a loaded state, like Louisiana,” Shurburtt says. Several stars on the LSU roster hail from Texas, including offensive lineman Ciron Black, receivers Brandon LaFell and Terrance Toliver, and backup quarterback Russell Shepard. LSU has commitments from several of Texas’ top high-school players for 2010, including wide receiver Mike Davis of Dallas and offensive lineman Evan Washington of DeSoto, Texas. LSU’s 2010 recruiting class is ranked third by Rivals.com, behind Penn State and Texas, while ESPN has the Tigers sixth.
