Lane Kiffin, LSU enter defining November stretch as Alabama matchup carries CFP weight

As the margin for error thins coming out of the first College Football Playoff rankings, so begins Lane Kiffin's season-defining stretch this month at two-loss LSU against nationally ranked competition.

Strength of schedule, quality wins, and overall resume are all factors that will be weighed heavily by the selection committee in the coming weeks, which slotted the Tigers 14th behind six other SEC teams in Tuesday night's initial rankings reveal.

LSU is one of four top-15 teams without a ranked win this season, joining Notre Dame, UCLA and Wake Forest. The Tigers lost at Ole Miss and Kentucky, while victories over then-ranked Texas A&M and Mississippi State in Baton Rouge haven't aged well.

The Aggies have tanked offensively, and the Bulldogs have lost four straight since quarterback Kamario Taylor went down with a toe injury against Alabama that eventually proved season-ending.

Entering Saturday's bout with the No. 5 Crimson Tide, metrics currently helping the Tigers include game control (No. 4 nationally), strength of schedule (23rd) and strength of record (16th). LSU's remaining schedule is the third-toughest in college football, with No. 7 Texas, No. 13 Tennessee and Arkansas looming after Alabama.

Some have billed Saturday's game as a CFP eliminator for the loser, but college football -- especially within the SEC -- has been filled with way too much parity this season to write off Alabama or LSU with three games left for each team after this one.

That said, it's imperative that LSU begin to build an attractive resume for the selection committee after previously missing out on chances against the Rebels and Wildcats on the road. Kiffin is 0-5 all-time against Alabama as a head coach, 13-26 overall against nationally ranked opponents, and understands the stakes are high for this one.

"I think November meaningful games, I don't mean this arrogantly, that's what we've been used to for a lot of years now, really every year," Kiffin said Monday. "I'm glad that's where we are right now, we should be even better position, but you guys know the (one) game that haunts that of the position we're in, so it is what it is and less margin for error than we would have. We've got to make sure that we perform really well against a really good team that's coached really well."  

Alabama's two ranked wins came against Kentucky and South Carolina, who were not in the AP poll at the time of their games against the Crimson Tide this season, but have since caught fire as two of the SEC's hottest teams.

Kiffin said he preached physicality and execution to his team during their open week against an elite opponent.

"You see them and they look like old Alabama teams," Kiffin said. "I do think this is the most talented, when you take the 22, this is the most talented team we've played so far."

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