When Brian Kelly and LSU lost their season opener to USC, no one could’ve seen this particular loss coming back to haunt them in the first 2024 college football playoff rankings. Despite similar records and sitting at a higher rank in the SEC than Alabama, LSU only made it to the top 15 in the rankings while the Crimson Tide secured the No. 11 spot. “That’s fair,” LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier bluntly said of the rankings. But is it?

Stanford Steve spoke his mind about the CFP rankings in a new YouTube episode on ESPN College Football on November 7. Given the favoritism towards Alabama in the playoff rankings despite similar, if not better records, he said, “I believe the committee is rooting for Alabama in the LSU-Alabama game because there’s an outlier there with the LSU-USC game.” 

As mentioned before, LSU’s 27-20 loss against the Trojans has become the reason for this snub. Not many SEC programs lose to this Big Ten team that’s going 4-5 into the season. But the Tigers’ shortcomings in the game seem to have proven to some people that they’re not better than Alabama under a new HC in Kalen DeBoer. 

Being No. 15 means Brian Kelly’s team won’t be eligible for the newly expanded 12-team College Football Playoff if the regular season were to end today. But rankings are just numbers based on peoples’ opinions. But the question still remains though, who is the better team? They’ll put this speculation to rest when they finally meet for a huge SEC showdown to show the world who’s the worthy playoff contender. 

Week 11 game to watch – LSU vs Alabama SEC showdown 

Can No. 15 LSU take out No. 11 Alabama in Baton Rouge on Saturday night? Welcome to the CFP elimination game where either one of the teams will walk off with their playoff hopes shattered for the season. Both with two losses, Alabama enters the game as a 3-point favorite over LSU after their last 34-0 blowout victory over Missouri. As of now, the Crimson Tide ranks 16th averaging 37.6 points per game. They’re also a top-20 program in scoring defense, giving up 18.62 points per game. 

But LSU is looking for a rebound after the last 38-23 fall to Texas A&M. Besides, they’ll have a home-field advantage at Tiger Stadium where they currently hold a 14-game winning streak. They also enter the game ranking sixth in passing offense with an average of 332.8 passing yards per game. It’s going to be a game to keep an eye on for the competition is going to be fierce in this do-or-die matchup