Plenty of spice when LSU meets Saban again Nov. 3

TUSCALOOSA — Nick Saban made an interesting comment regarding No. 22 Alabama's upcoming match-up with No. 3 LSU.

"This game is about the players," Saban said during the SEC teleconference Wednesday.

But no matter what Saban does, no matter what he says, this Nov. 3 showdown will be billed as Saban vs. LSU.

Saban committed a wrong in LSU's fans eyes by first bolting the Tigers for the Dolphins, then making a cardinal sin by returning to the SEC with a main rival.

Also, when this game was announced, few thought that both Alabama (6-2, 4-1 SEC) and LSU (7-1, 4-1) would be fighting it out for the SEC West title, adding to the Saban-induced spice.

In an twist of scheduling fate, both teams are off this week, only increasing the buildup that the game would have received on a normal week.

With the CrimsonTide not playing, it has a chance to rest some of its players, clear its mind and re-work some schemes that need improvement.

For this off-week, here are the main issues as Alabama gets ready to face the Bengal Tigers:

Continuing momentum: Look at it this way — the Colorado Rockies won 21 of 22 games heading into the World Series.

Then after sweeping the Diamondbacks in the National League Championship Series, they had eight days off before facing the Boston Red Sox. And look at what happened in Game 1 — a 13-1 drubbing by Boston.

An off-week can be a difficult "curveball" thrown at a season on the upswing.

Alabama thoroughly dominated rival Tennessee last weekend, winning 41-17. After the game, players were talking at a thousand miles per hour. It was apparent they didn't want the fun to stop.

When given the option of playing or resting this week, this is what defensive end Wallace Gilberry said:

"Hands down play this week, hands down. Take that momentum from Tennessee and keep rolling. Unfortunately, we have to harness it and harvest it and hopefully come out Monday just like we played Saturday with a clear mind and ready to get this thing going."

Maybe the bye-week is exactly what the Tide needs, but until the final horn sounds against the Tigers, we won't know.

Defensive consistency: When your team plays a complete game for the first time since the second game of the year, it's tough to find an issue to improve upon.

But for the second week in a row, Alabama's defense allowed an opposing offense to move the ball with ease for a period of the game. In the first half, the Crimson Tide allowed 217 yards to Tennessee. The previous week, Ole Miss gained 420 yards against the Tide.

Of course, Alabama shut out the Vols in the second half, allowing 145 total yards and making several key plays — two interceptions by Kareem Jackson come to mind. But it is an area that needs to be corrected, especially with LSU's potent offensive attack coming to town.

"This is a chance for us to focus on ourselves," Tide safety Rashad Johnson said. "To get ourselves better, more fundamentally sound and come in next week off the weekend off and be ready to focus."

Tiger rest: Speaking of the bye-week, it comes at a perfect time for LSU.

LSU's past three games have all been against ranked teams — Florida, Kentucky and Auburn — and all have come down to the last play. The Tigers finished 2-1 in that stretch, but all three games could have gone either way.

When LSU comes to Bryant-Denny Stadium, they will be a fresh and rested bunch, looking to re-establish themselves as the premier team in the country.

For them, this game means more than just beating Saban — the Tigers want a national championship.