2. Alabama at LSU, November 8th
LSU and Alabama both graduated a great deal of key players to the NFL last year, but neither of them failed to reload. LSU running back Leonard Fournette is poised to burst onto the scene as a true freshman and freshman wide receiver Malachi Dupre will look to fill the shoes of Jarvis Landry or Odell Beckham Jr. While Derrick Henry and T.J. Yeldon will look to shoulder the load for Bama to make quarterback Jake Coker’s job a lot easier. Both teams have new quarterbacks, but the playmakers around them and on defense will help make the new signal callers jobs much easier. Nothing like a night game in Death Valley between two rivals.
1. Auburn at Alabama, November 29th
The Iron Bowl is usually a classic and even though both teams lost key players, I fully expect this year to be another match up to die for. I don’t expect a walk-off field goal return, but a down to the wire finish would be fitting. Another year with more experience in Gus Malzahn’s offense will do Nick Marshall and the Tigers’ offense a world of good, while their defense returns some key playmakers to their defense (Cassanova McKinzy and Robensen Therezie). I’m not sure it will be enough to contain T.J. Yeldon, Derrick Henry and Amari Cooper, but it will be fun as hell to watch.
