Three Storylines I'm Watching Most in Alabama's Week 10 Matchup at LSU

No. 5. Alabama (6-2, 4-2 SEC) and No. 14 LSU (6-2, 3-2 SEC) meet in Death Valley this weekend for a rivalry showdown that has major implications for both the SEC and College Football Playoff race. The winner walks away with a signature résumé booster, and the loser's season is in serious peril.

Here are three of the biggest storylines I'm keeping an eye on heading into Saturday's game.

Can Alabama keep Keelon Russell upright?

LSU's defense ranks second in the country in sacks with 34 on the season, and Alabama's offense has allowed 13 sacks in its three previous road games (compared to 10 sacks allowed in five home games.)

Not exactly an encouraging stat for the Crimson Tide. The blame for those sacks can't fall solely on the offensive line. Some of them are on quarterback Keelon Russell himself for occasionally holding on to the ball for too long or not reading the defense correctly before the snap.

Sacks are drive-killers and can create big momentum swings for the opposing crowd. Alabama has to find ways to keep Russell upright this Saturday. Possibly getting center Racin Delgatty back would help, but there likely still will be a new line with left guard William Sanders out after undergoing tightrope surgery. The communication has to be on point in a hostile environment.

"They’re good, obviously, No. 2 in the country," Alabama left tackle Jackson Lloyd said of LSU's pass rush. "We gotta be on our A-game for sure. They’re fast, they’re strong, they’re physical, so we’ve gotta come out and play our game."

Russell has the ability to make big plays with both his arm and legs. He just has to have the time to make them.

What will Lane Kiffin have up his sleeve?

Lane Kiffin loves a spotlight, and he fully embraced all that would come with being the head coach at LSU when he chose the Tigers over several other programs that were pursuing him at the end of last season.

Kiffin is very familiar with Alabama after three seasons with the Crimson Tide as offensive coordinator under Nick Saban from 2014 to 2016. He's also coached against Alabama while serving as head coach at Tennessee (2009) and Ole Miss. Kiffin is 0-5 against the Crimson Tide as a head coach.

Most thought that this matchup between Alabama and LSU would be a CFP elimination game, but after the first round of the rankings was revealed on Tuesday night with Alabama at No. 5 and LSU at No. 14, the Crimson Tide might have a little more wiggle room even with a loss.

The Tigers probably do too, but LSU's remaining schedule is very challenging with No. 7 Texas and a road trip to No. 13 Tennessee still to come in November. This game would mean a lot to Kiffin regardless, but what's at stake makes it even more important.

Kiffin notoriously said in a pregame television interview with CBS just before kickoff of the 2021 matchup at Alabama to "get your popcorn ready." His Ole Miss squad trailed by 28 at halftime and lost 42-21.

He'll be aiming for a much better start than that this Saturday. Despite two losses on the season to Ole Miss and Kentucky, Kiffin has LSU in a really good spot. The Tigers lead the SEC in total offense and total defense. With players like tight end Trey'Dez Green and defensive end Princewill Umanmielen, LSU has players on both sides of the ball that can be absolute matchup nightmares for Alabama.

Will Kiffin's Tigers be ready to pounce on the Crimson Tide?

How much did the bye help the Crimson Tide's injured players?

Alabama's availability report was a bit of a surprise on Wednesday. Not necessarily because of the names that were on it, but more so because of the status of some of those names. All the major players that have missed time recently (DB Zabien Brown, WR Ryan Coleman-Williams, DL Terrance Green, RB EJ Crowell and offensive linemen Delgatty and Sanders) were all listed as "questionable."

That should be positive news for Alabama fans that none of the starters were listed as "doubtful" or "out." Things can change by Saturday, but head coach Kalen DeBoer seemed optimistic on Monday that they would be able to play against LSU. (Sanders is the least likely to play after having ankle surgery following the win over Texas A&M.)

Having these players back after a bye week and some time off will be a big boost for this team from a leadership standpoint and production standpoint. Coleman-Williams and Brown are team captains. But just because a guy is available doesn't mean he will immediately be able to contribute at a high level again.

Even if Coleman-Williams isn't at 100 percent physically, just having him back on the field should open up things for the rest of the offense. If Green can play, it bolsters Alabama's run defense and frees up Devan Thompkins to play outside a little more.

How closely these injured players can get integrated back into their previous roles will determine how successful Alabama can be as a team on Saturday.

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