The LSU Tigers just defeated the Alabama Crimson Tide, and that underscores LSU football's greatness this season. In fact, we believe the Tigers are good enough to win their entire division. Here are the five reasons why LSU Tigers football will win the SEC West over conference rival Alabama.
As the Tigers approach their bye week, they are two-thirds of the way through head coach Brian Kelly's first season. They have a 7-2 overall record and a 5-1 SEC record.
They are one of two SEC West teams with only one conference defeat. The other is Ole Miss, which will lose a head-to-head tiebreaker to LSU owing to the Tigers' 45-20 thrashing in Tiger Stadium last Oct. 23.
The fact is that LSU football may be the best team in the SEC West. Now, while it may be true that the SEC West isn't as excellent as it has been in recent seasons, that should not diminish what head coach Brian Kelly and the Tigers have achieved to get to this point. LSU has just exceeded expectations.
The Tigers' performance validated their fans' confidence in them. Looking ahead, what should we think of LSU's chances down the stretch? The Tigers have already exceeded their SEC victory total and equaled their overall win total from last season. We also believe they're not finished yet.
Having said that, here are the five reasons why LSU Tigers football will win the SEC West over conference rival Alabama.
NO. 10 LSU UPSETS NO. 6 BAMA IN OT š±
Alabama has 2+ losses in the regular season for the first time since 2019 š® pic.twitter.com/lIKjbbJxPO
ā ESPN (@espn) November 6, 2022
5. LSU just beat Alabama
Despite forcing overtime, LSU football held on to win 32-31 at Tiger Stadium on Saturday against Alabama. LSU won the game in overtime on a brave two-point conversion.
Recall that Alabama took the lead in overtime on a short run by Roydell Williams. LSU then scored on its first overtime play, a 25-yard touchdown run by QB Jayden Daniels.
Daniels performed admirably here. The Arizona State transfer completed 22-of-32 passes for 182 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing 18 times for 95 yards and one score. Daniels has thrown 14 touchdowns with only one interception this season after passing 10 touchdowns and 10 interceptions with the Sun Devils last season.
After this win over the Crimson Tide, LSU is the clear leader in the SEC West.
4. BJ Ojulari is a defensive monster
LSU has a defensive front that features no less than the combo of BJ Ojulari, Harold Perkins, and Micah Baskerville. Against Bryce Young and āBama, Ojulari, and Perkins each had one sack and one TFL.
In a game where the Tigers needed these guys to step up, they did, especially Ojulari.
This is huge since Ojulari has been relatively quiet in recent weeks. It was good then that he was a leader in applying pressure and making life as difficult for Young as much as possible. The most important thing for the rest of the season is for Ojulari to continue anchoring the LSU football defense and keeping opposing QBs under intense pressure.
In total this season, Ojulari has had four sacks and 25 total tackles. He has been a defensive monster, and he will continue to be one of the Tigers' most vital elements.
3. Jayden Daniels is a stud
LSU's recent offensive success has been mostly due to its quarterback, Jayden Daniels. As of this writing, he has completed 69.9 percent of his passes, scored 21 total touchdowns, passed for 1,812 yards, and carried for 524 yards.
Yes, he's a bona fide stud playing some of the finest football of his career. And he'll have to keep it up if LSU is to win the SEC West.
The reality is that this LSU offense is gaining trust that has been lacking for most of the season, with Daniels now feeling comfortable taking more bold plays downfield. We don't see any team LSU football is set to face in the coming weeks able to slow Daniels down.
2. Alabama has a tougher schedule
Alabama football's loss to LSU this week was tremendous in terms of division implications. It put Alabama at 7-2 overall but 5-2 in the SEC West. Now they sit in solo third place in the division behind both LSU and Ole Miss.
Speaking of Ole Miss, the Crimson Tide are set to face the eleventh-ranked team next week. That'll be very tough, and the 8-1 Rebels are sure to give āBama a very hard time.
After that, another dangerous team in Austin Peay awaits the Crimson tide before they close out the season against the struggling Auburn Tigers. Alabama just has a tougher schedule right now compared to LSU.
1. LSU sked
Arkansas, UAB, and Texas A&M are all unranked and will be LSU football's remaining season opponents. UAB and Texas A&M also currently have losing records.
It's a lighter remaining schedule for the Tigers compared to what Alabama has. This gives LSU football a golden chance to end the season on a strong note and completely wrap up the SEC West top spot.
The truth is that LSU is rising while Alabama is falling. Again, LSU also owns the tiebreaker against Ole Miss. It's strange but the Tigers' once-impossible odds of winning the SEC West have now turned in their favor.
Jayden Daniels and the offense are on a roll, and the entire club is filled with confidence. All that matters now is winning their last three games.
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