Alabama's road beatdown of LSU puts the Crimson Tide right back in the national championship conversation

The Alabama Crimson Tide gave up more than 200 extra yards in Baton Rouge and still walked out with a statement win. That says a lot about who this team is heading into the stretch run.

The Alabama Crimson Tide are back among the national championship contenders after a dominant road win over LSU. This was a beatdown at its finest, and it came in a way that makes very little sense on a stat sheet.
If I told you before kickoff that LSU would finish with 15 more first downs and more than 200 more yards than the opposition, you probably would have assumed LSU, at home, blew out Alabama by multiple scores. The reality is the exact opposite. Alabama’s defense made key play after key play, won the turnover battle, and held LSU to 0-for-4 on fourth down. That’s how you win a game you get outgained in by 200 yards. You win the moments that actually decide it.
It’s clear as day at this point. LSU head coach Lane Kiffin has an Alabama problem. He’s now 0-6 against the Tide in his career, and it doesn’t matter whether Nick Saban or Kalen DeBoer is on the other sideline. Six tries, six losses. That’s brutal.

Keelon Russell answered the biggest question about this offense

What impressed me most was watching Keelon Russell rebound. He’s a young quarterback, and walking into that stadium is difficult for anybody. Walking into it against the No. 1 team in sacks and pressure, and near the top of most metrics for getting to the quarterback, is a whole different animal.
Need I remind you that pressure is exactly what beat Alabama against Tennessee? That was the blueprint for slowing this team down, and LSU had the personnel to run it. Russell stood in there anyway. That’s growth, and it’s the kind of growth you need from a quarterback if you’re going to make a real run in January.
Credit also goes to Ryan Coleman-Williams and a handful of others who stepped up after being injured. The bye week was critical for this team, and you could see it. Alabama looked healthier, sharper, and more physical than the team that showed up against Tennessee.

Alabama has the upside to beat anybody, including Georgia

Now, I want to be honest about where I stand. Georgia is my No. 1 team in the entire country. I haven’t moved off of that. But if a couple calls break Alabama’s way in that game, Alabama probably beats Georgia.
And you may say, Tegan, you just told me Georgia is the best team in the sport and now you’re telling me Alabama should have beaten them? Well, yes. Both things can be true.
Georgia is the best team, and Alabama has the talent and upside to beat that team on any given Saturday. If you have that type of upside, how can you not be a national championship contender?
This LSU win was the proof of concept. Alabama went on the road, got out-possessed and outgained, and still controlled the outcome. Any given Saturday, this is a team you don’t want to line up against.

Is Alabama perfect? Absolutely not

I’m not handing Alabama the title. Is this the best team in the country? No. I still worry about the rushing attack, and that concern isn’t going away because of one great defensive performance. When the passing game stalls, Alabama needs a ground game it can lean on, and I haven’t seen enough of one yet to feel comfortable.
But look around the sport. There isn’t a lot of perfect in college football this season, if there’s any at all. Every contender has a flaw. Georgia has one. Alabama has one. The question isn’t whether a team is flawless. The question is whether it has the talent, the defense, and the quarterback play to win three or four straight games against elite competition.
After what I watched against LSU, Alabama checks those boxes. The run game needs to show up, and I’ll be watching that closely the rest of the way. But the Crimson Tide are a national championship contender, and anybody writing them off after the Tennessee loss just watched them dismantle LSU on its own field. That was as big of a statement as any.

Alabama has a 95% chance to make the College Football Playoff and a 16% chance to win the national title, according to the A to Z Sports CFB Playoff Predictor (updated November 8, 2026).

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