BATON ROUGE — LSU has a win over the No. 6 team in the nation in Georgia. Alabama has no top 10 wins.
LSU is No. 1 in the nation in nation in interceptions with 14 with Alabama just behind with 12.
The Tigers are No. 1 in the Southeastern Conference and No. 5 in the nation in turnover margin with 19 takeaways versus seven turnovers, with Alabama one slot behind with 17 takeaways versus six turnovers.
And go ahead and refer to LSU as Defensive Back U. as it is No. 1 in the SEC and No. 6 nationally in pass defense efficiency. Alabama is a little off pace here at No. 5 in the SEC and No. 13 nationally.
And in addition this week, LSU received recognition beyond the numbers.
Alabama coach Nick Saban called the Tigers "legitimate." He was asked beforehand, but still this is noteworthy praise from on high.
Asked what "legitimacy" means by a Baton Rouge writer at a press conference on Tuesday, Saban said, "I mean, if you're legitimate, that means you're for real, I guess. It means you've created sort of a reputation for yourself that you're dependable, trustworthy and actually recognized and respected by others for your consistency in who you are and how you do the things that you do."
Then he couldn't resist a soft Saban jab.
"I could bring a dictionary with me in the future so I can give you the definition, but I can't think of one right off the bat," he said. "But that's what it means to me."
Was the questioner suggesting that perhaps Alabama was not legitimate? The Tide (8-0, 5-0 SEC) has nothing close to a top 10 victory going into its Nov. 3 game at No. 4 LSU (7-1, 4-1 SEC) on Nov. 3 at Tiger Stadium (7 p.m. on CBS). Its only top 25 win was 45-23 over Texas A&M (5-2, 3-1 SEC), which was No. 22 at the time. The Aggies are no longer ranked, but should be as their only losses are to No. 1 Alabama and No. 2 Clemson, 28-26.
Apparently, Alabama's legitimacy was not the next question. The next question was what LSU's 7-1 record means to Saban.
"Well, if you're asking me if I think LSU's legitimate, I think they're absolutely legitimate," Saban said. "I think they have a really, really good team. I think they've played a difficult schedule and done a really good job of beating some really good teams."
Coach Ed Orgeron's Tigers also have a win over another ranked team — 33-17 over Miami, which is No. 25 in the USA TODAY coaches' poll.
"I think they're playing well on both sides of the ball," Saban said. "I think they're very well coached. I think Ed's done a really, really good job with the program. So, I think they're a very legitimate contender for our league, and it's going to be a big game for both teams."
Saban has also said LSU will be the best defense his team has seen. Texas A&M's defense is ranked higher than LSU's in total yards allowed at No. 5 in the SEC and No. 22 nationally with 323.3 a game to LSU's 330.3 for No. 7 and No. 25. But the Aggies are second-to-last in the SEC and 105th nationally in pass defense efficiency with 13 touchdowns allowed and just three interceptions.
Alabama's other victims this season have not done well in total defense — Ole Miss at 123rd nationally, the Ragin' Cajuns at 114th, Missouri at 96th, Louisville at 93rd, Arkansas at 87th, Arkansas State at 74th and Tennessee at 63rd.
"I think really in my mind, they don't have any weaknesses on defense," Saban said on the SEC teleconference Wednesday. "They've got good linebackers. They've got good guys up front. And when you have a good back end with a good team defense, those guys get some opportunities to make plays (in the secondary). And they certainly have taken advantage of it."
LSU safety Grant Delpit leads the nation with five interceptions.
"They're athletic. They've got good ball skills," Saban said.
It will be LSU defensive coordinator Dave Aranda's third game against Alabama. He had the Tide shut out through three quarters before a 10-0 loss in 2016. In a 24-10 loss to the Tide last season, Alabama was out-gained by LSU, 306-299.
"He has a really good system, and their players understand it," Saban said. "Sometimes they do things a little bit differently against us."
This will clearly be the best Alabama offense Aranda has seen. The Tide is No. 1 in the nation in scoring (54.1 points a game) and total offense (564.2 yards a game), while quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is No. 1 in the nation in passing efficiency at 238.8 on 107-of-152 passing for 2,066 yards and 25 touchdowns with no interceptions.
"I expect them to do the things that they do well in our game," Saban said. "I think you have to sort of go with what brought you here. You can't really change everything that's working as well as it has worked for them."
