Five things LSU football fans should know about the Alabama Crimson Tide

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LSU football is set for its first game after moving on from head coach Brian Kelly. This week, the Tigers travel to Tuscaloosa for a meeting with the No. 4-ranked Crimson Tide. Frank Wilson will lead the Tigers, making his debut as LSU's interim head coach.

LSU is familiar with Alabama. The two are old rivals from the SEC West days and have continued to play even with the SEC axing divisions.

Alabama has LSU's number, leading the all-time series 57-27-5. LSU's last win vs. the Tide came in 2022, when LSU walked it off with a game-winning two-point conversion. LSU's last win in Tuscaloosa was in 2019, with Joe Burrow lighting up the scoreboard.

Alabama enters 7-1. The Tide dropped the season opener at Florida State, but has rolled since then. This is one of the best teams in the country and a serious contender for the national title.

Here are five things to know about the Alabama Crimson Tide.

1. Ty Simpson is one of the best QBs in the country

Alabama has a first-year starter at QB, but Ty Simpson has quickly emerged as one of the best passers in college football. Simpson is generating Heisman hype and is in the conversation to be the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft.

Simpson signed with Alabama as a four-star in 2022. Per On3, he was the No. 2-ranked QB in the class. Simpson waited his turn and it worked out for Simpson and Alabama.

Simpson's 83.1 PFF passing grade ranks No. 4 in the SEC. With 15 completions of 20+ air yards, he's one of the most effective deep ball throwers in the conference.

Perhaps the most impressive bullet on Simpson's resume is a 20-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio. His lone pick came vs. Vanderbilt.

Alabama doesn't use Simpson a ton in the run game, but he's capable as a scrambler with 173 sack-adjusted rushing yards.

2. Alabama's run game is inconsistent

Per GameOnPaper, Alabama ranks No. 79 nationally in EPA/rush. This run game isn't scary. The only game vs. a Power Four opponent where Alabama's EPA/rush was 50th percentile or better was the Vandy contest.

The Tide failed to get the run going vs. Missouri, Tennessee, and South Carolina. Three solid defenses.

It's hard to pin Bama's lacking run game on one thing. The offensive line is fine, but not elite. Running back Jam Miller is good, but he's dealt with an injury.

There's a path for LSU to give Alabama's offense trouble, especially if Whit Weeks plays. If Bama can't run the ball, the Tide will struggle to stay on schedule.

3. It's hard to throw the ball vs. the Tide

Florida State was explosive in Week 1, but since then, teams have struggled to pass the ball vs. Alabama.

On the year, Alabama ranks No. 23 in EPA/pass allowed. Alabama does a good job of preventing explosive plays and makes it hard to move the ball down to down.

Freshman corner Dijon Lee is playing at an All-SEC level. He's taken over a starting role and allowed just eight catches on 17 targets. LSU's passing game has been inconsistent in 2025, and it's not getting any easier vs. Alabama.

4. Alabama enjoys its homefield

Every team enjoys the comfort of its homefield, especially the Alabama offense. The Crimson Tide's four most efficient offensive outings have come at home. Their four worst outputs have been on the road.

Their least efficient home outing was the Tennessee game, where the offense averaged .30 PPA/play. That was still good enough to rank in the 79th percentile.

So far, Alabama's lowest margin of victory at home is 16 points.

5. Alabama is a good red zone team on both sides of the ball

Alabama has won a few close games in 2025 — that's where it helps to be good in the red zone, on both sides of the ball.

Alabama's offense ranks No. 4 in red zone scoring rate while the defense ranks No. 7. When Alabama gets the chance to score, it puts points on the board. On the other side of the ball, the defense bends but doesn't break.

That's not good news for an LSU offense that struggles to finish drives.

This article originally appeared on LSU Wire: 5 things LSU football fans should know about the Alabama Crimson Tide

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