Crimson Nation seems almost reasonable by comparison, a strange new territory for the rabid 'Bama fans. Hell, even wacky LSU coach Les Miles has eagerly waded into this feud for reasons I can't comprehend. I mention all of this because CBS surely will throughout the broadcast. At some point, some football will be played Saturday but you won't know it for all the coverage and hype of the feud factor.

On to the football… earlier this season I thought LSU was the two best teams in the country. Oh, how times have changed. LSU has looked ordinary in home wins against Auburn and Florida and lost on the road to Kentucky. It's been a long time since they've looked dominant against anyone. Alabama, meanwhile, has been frustratingly inconsistent.

The key to the game, to me, is Alabama star WR DJ Hall. If LSU can cover and contain him, they win this game. If they can't, 'Bama has a decent shot at a home upset. I'm inclined to pick LSU but can't count my Tide out completely.

Elsewhere in the SEC

Idle Mississippi State is the best story in the SEC this year. If I'm talking about a team with a bye, you can tell I'm not enthused about the other games this week. MSU is more interesting to me than S. Carolina at Arkansas.

The Bulldogs (5-4) have a realistic shot at the postseason having notched two SEC road wins (Auburn, Kentucky) and winnable games still on the schedule. Head coach Sylvester Croom was foolishly passed over by his alma mater (Alabama) and took a job no one would want under the best of circumstances, and MSU was not under the best of circumstances when he came in. Mike Shula – who got the Alabama job – has already been fired. It's good to see good men succeed.

--Josh Hathaway

Week 10 is going to be a slow week in the Sun Belt. There are only two conference games scheduled and the two non-conference match-ups are against SEC opponents. The day’s slate will kick off at 1:00p EST as the Sun Belt’s best team, the Troy Trojans, travel down between the hedges to take on the Georgia Bulldogs. While Troy is a solid football team, the Bulldogs have never lost a non-conference game during the regular season under head coach Mark Richt. It is possible that the Dawgs will be caught looking ahead to next week’s showdown with Auburn and will be due for a letdown game after last week’s rare triumph over Georgia. That possibility is pretty slim, however. Troy may keep it interesting, but Georgia will prevail in the end.