One recreation hardly ever determines the success of a season. There’s way more that goes into it than a singular fall Saturday. However Saturday night time in Tiger Stadium is trending towards a type of 60-minute determinations for this Alabama soccer workforce.

This has been a tough Crimson Tide workforce to determine. It’s arguably probably the most proficient workforce within the nation. That fueled what we now know have been unrealistic preseason expectations. Some camps thought this is likely to be Nick Saban’s greatest Alabama workforce. I by no means traveled that far in my estimation, however I little doubt thought this workforce was the perfect within the nation.

What we’ve seen as a substitute is a workforce that has performed up or right down to its stage of competitors on a number of events. That’s led to some wildly entertaining and extremely considered soccer video games. What’s not occurred is domination of the opponent in a manner viewers have develop into accustomed.

Alabama debuted at No. 6 within the Faculty Soccer Playoff rankings, a weekly train in producing overblown angst with a whole lot of video games left to be performed. What was revealed within the made-for-television rankings present is what’s forward for Alabama. Specifically, alternatives to go away little doubt about what this workforce is.

That begins Saturday towards No. 10 LSU. One recreation shouldn’t be the be-all and end-all of a workforce’s character. However this is likely to be an exception.

For a workforce that has been so tough to trace when it comes to week-to-week efficiency, Alabama has an opportunity to ship a message. If not now, when? Every little thing appears to be arrange for the kind of efficiency we’ve anticipated from this group all season lengthy.

Coming off an idle week, Alabama is comparatively wholesome. Defensive linemen DJ Dale and Jaheim Oatis ought to be again, and quarterback Bryce Younger had every week off to relaxation his sprained shoulder.

There’s additionally the truth that Loss of life Valley has really been variety to Alabama in recent times. LSU’s final house win towards the Tide: 2010.

That doesn’t shade the truth that Tiger Stadium is a tough place to play. The Tigers are taking part in their greatest soccer, and that’s why they’re ranked the place they’re now. It actually didn’t begin that manner.

Bryce Younger has thrown for 1,906 yards, 18 TDs and three INTs. (Randy Sartin / USA Immediately)

Again within the preseason, I ranked Alabama’s schedule, considering intrigue and significance. That train now seems to be a bit absurd. I had LSU ranked fifth. Texas A&M was first. The Saban-Jimbo Fisher drama actually weighted that rating, however the Aggies have been a preseason top-10 workforce. LSU was virtually an afterthought. It didn’t start properly for the Tigers, both, after they misplaced to Florida State in New Orleans to start the season.

The LSU workforce awaiting the Crimson Tide on Saturday is a distinct workforce. The Tigers have come into their very own, so to talk. The win towards Ole Miss received everybody’s consideration.

But it surely wasn’t that way back that this LSU workforce beat Auburn by solely 4 factors. The identical Auburn workforce that’s 3-5 and simply paid $15 million to indicate its coach the door. This LSU workforce was clobbered by Tennessee. The identical Tennessee workforce that beat Alabama on a walk-off area purpose.

All that to say: Alabama is a greater workforce than LSU. Any affordable particular person can take a look at the rosters and make that willpower.

That doesn’t imply that Alabama would be the higher workforce on Saturday, although. And therein lies the crux of this Crimson Tide workforce. Which squad will present up?

Will or not it’s the one which dedicated 15 and 17 penalties, respectively, in street journeys to Austin and Knoxville? Will or not it’s the one which couldn’t cease Tennessee’s offense? Will or not it’s the one that may’t persistently run the ball?

I don’t must remind you about final yr’s recreation towards LSU, the one during which Alabama ran for six yards. The one during which LSU transformed a pretend punt. The sport that shouldn’t have been shut however was a one-score recreation.

LSU’s offense will not be Tennessee’s, but it surely’s within the prime half of the SEC in complete yards and scoring. Alabama’s protection remains to be fairly good regardless of a notion that’s been formed by the efficiency towards Tennessee. It was identified this week that Alabama’s allowed 15 touchdowns this season. Seven got here within the recreation towards the Volunteers. By any measure, eight touchdowns allowed within the different seven video games is fairly stout. However followers nonetheless have lingering nightmares from Tennessee, making them fearful going ahead.

Jayden Daniels is a positive quarterback. His dual-threat means is precisely what has given Alabama defenses issues up to now. However this isn’t Tennessee’s offense that he’s working. I’m certain Brian Kelly will incorporate a few of the issues that labored properly for the Volunteers into the sport plan Saturday, however he doesn’t have the identical personnel or the identical scheme to do all of it recreation.

There’s additionally the truth that the baptism by hearth for this Alabama protection in Knoxville precipitated some adjustments to the secondary. Specifically, Eli Ricks. The LSU switch was inserted into the beginning lineup the next week towards Mississippi State, and he greater than answered the decision with a efficiency that’s led everybody to ask Saban why it took so lengthy for Ricks to play.

The reply is that they lastly determined to free Ricks up and let him go play, to let him use his athleticism and beneficiant arm size to torture the Bulldogs’ quarterback and large receivers. They went at him 9 instances, in accordance with PFF. Ricks allowed only one completion and completed with 4 breakups.

LSU switch Eli Ricks had a breakout recreation vs. Mississippi State. (Gary Cosby Jr. / USA Immediately)

Saban mentioned the off week was good for the offensive line, which has been one thing of a combined bag this season. Definitely it’s a greater line than final season. That’s revealed in evaluating the sack numbers (1.5 sacks allowed per recreation in 2022 vs. 2.7 in 2021) and the dashing numbers (211 yards per recreation in 2022 vs. 150 in 2021). However the line hasn’t been pretty much as good as anticipated, particularly in persistently working the ball. The explosive dashing performs are up, however the working recreation isn’t pretty much as good because it must be on an every-down foundation — notably in short-yardage conditions.

However whether or not Alabama wins doesn’t essentially rely at first on the protection or Younger’s shoulder. Extra essential than something is the large receivers. The receivers have been the mannequin of inconsistency this season.

We knew there can be a drop-off. We knew there was no Jameson Williams on this workforce. However we thought the collective of a strong group of receivers might ease the burden of not having a clear-cut No. 1 wideout. It has, to some extent. That’s why a working again, Jahmyr Gibbs, leads the workforce in receptions. There hasn’t been a large receiver who’s separated himself from the others simply when it comes to being the man within the second.

If the sport got here down to at least one drive, would Alabama know who the receiver it might depend on can be? Possibly not having one helps Younger in that no protection can key in on that man to take him away. However greater than that, it’s about realizing you may depend upon a receiver who’ll line up appropriately, run an excellent route, get open and catch the ball. Ja’Corey Brooks has performed that previously, and I feel Isaiah Bond has that potential for the long run. However within the second, Alabama wants somebody to stand up.

Saturday night time’s recreation will go a great distance towards figuring out the SEC West. If Alabama loses, it will want LSU to lose its closing two convention video games. If Alabama wins and loses to Ole Miss, it will maintain the tiebreaker over LSU however would lose a tiebreaker to Ole Miss. That’s a long-winded manner of claiming the SEC West is a three-team race, and people different groups host Alabama the following two Saturdays.

One recreation hardly ever determines if a season is profitable or not. But when an Alabama workforce that was anticipated to be certainly one of Saban’s greatest have been to just about be eradicated from the division race in early November, that might be a calamity.

(Prime picture: Kevin C. Cox / Getty Pictures)