The No. 5 Alabama Crimson Tide are getting a sort of break when they play No. 14 LSU on Saturday, as the contest will be played in the afternoon instead of at night.

Even without playing a night game at Death Valley, the Crimson Tide have their work cut out for them against a tough SEC team.

During an appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show" on Friday, former Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban offered his thoughts on Saturday’s rivalry contest. He thinks Alabama quarterback Keelon Russell needs to try to force plays, working on consistency. He’d rather Alabama punt than have turnovers.

Russell threw two interceptions in Alabama's 26-10 loss to Tennessee on Oct. 17. Coming off the bye, Russell should be in better shape.

As for the big picture against LSU, Saban sounded the alarm for the Crimson Tide, noting that it's a special contest. He believes Alabama has to have a "special maturity" to be on top of their game and focus. Even though it will be a day game, the crowd will be noisy.

Saban pointed out that Alabama appeared to have a problem handling the Tennessee crowd in its loss to the Volunteers in October. LSU plays a similar style to Tennessee, with a defense that can get after Russell.

One thing Saban pointed out that is more concerning about LSU than Tennessee is head coach Lane Kiffin's offense. The Tigers are capable of putting up more points against Alabama than Tennessee did.

With a No. 5 ranking, it remains to be seen how much grace the College Football Playoff committee would give Alabama if it lost to LSU. If it were in a close game, one would assume the fall-off wouldn't be too high.

However, a blowout loss to the Tigers would be concerning. Alabama only lost to Georgia by three points at home, but the Crimson Tide lost by 16 points to Tennessee a week later.

Two double-digit losses would not be a good look for Alabama's resume. The Crimson Tide don't have other games that they can play to boost their resume, as they'll finish the season against Vanderbilt, Chattanooga, and Auburn.

That makes Saturday's contest almost a must-win game for the Crimson Tide. A win would pretty much solidify their spot in the CFP. And maybe the best part for Alabama, it would almost certainly knock their rival, LSU, from consideration.

Source: Yahoo Sports