Thereisnodoubtaboutit,thebiggestmatch-uponthisweekend'scollege

footballschedulewill

beplayedinTuscaloosa,Ala.TheAlabamaCrimsonTideandtheLSUTigersenterthe

weekendastopfiveprogramsandfightingforwhatcouldbetheonlySEC

spotintheCollegeFootballPlayoff.Itisalsoamatch-upofnational

recruitingtitans,whofaceoffwithoneanothertimeandtimeagainonthe

recruitingtrail.

Belowisananalysisofthecurrentrostersofeachsquadandhowtheplayersrankedwhentheyweresigned.

Alabamavs.

LSU

NickSaban

AVG.RR

AVG.STARS

RANKINGPOINTS

FIVE-STARS

RIVALS100

RIVALS250

5.83

3.8

11,551

14

33

53

Top-rankedsignee:DEDa'ShawnHand--Handwasranked

theNo.1overallplayerinthe2014recruitingclass.HechosetheCrimsonTide

overMichiganandFlorida.Herecordedseventacklesandtwosacksasatruefreshman,andhasrecordedseventacklesand2.5sacksthrougheightgamesin

2015.

Five-stars:The14five-starsonAlabama'srosterdonotjust

claimarosterspot.Theseguysaregettingafterit.FreshmenCalvinRidleyand

intackles(39)andtacklesforloss(5).JonathanAllenleadstheteaminsacks

(5)andtacklesforloss(8).A'ShawnRobinsonandMarlonHumphreyhavebeen

veryactiveonthedefensiveside,andO.J.Howardhasrecorded290yardson26

receptionsfromhistightendposition.

Highest-rankedpositiongroup:DefensiveBack--LSUmaybe

knownasDBU,butAlabama'sgroupentersthegamewiththemostrecruiting

pointsofanypositiongrouponeitherteam(2,422).Thegroupincludesthree

formerfive-starprospectsinMarlonHumphrey,MinkahFitzpatrickand

ranking.Jacksonwasrankeda5.7three-staratwidereceiver.Alabama's

linebackergroupwastheonlyotherpositiongrouponeitherteamtohaveover

2,000recruitingpoints.

Classof2016recruitingranking:No.12overall,1,846

recruitingpoints,3.59averagestarranking

LSUClick Here to view this Link.

Les Miles

AVG. RR

AVG. STARS

RANKING POINTS

FIVE-STARS

RIVALS100

RIVALS250

5.76

3.56

8,901

8

17

40

Top-ranked signee: RB Leonard Fournette -- Fournette

was ranked No. 4 overall in the 2014 recruiting class. He chose LSU over Alabama

at the Under Armour All-American game. He is the current favorite to claim the

Heisman Trophy, and he has rushed for 1,352 yards and 15 touchdowns on 176

carries in 2015. He rushed for 1,034 yards and 10 touchdowns on 187 carries as a

true freshman in 2014.

Five-Stars: Fournette is not the only former five-star putting

in work for the Tigers. Maea Teuhema has claimed a starting spot on the

offensive line, and Malachi Dupre leads the Tigers in average yards per

reception (18.9) and TD receptions (5). Dupre is second on the team with 21

receptions for 397 yards. Derrius Guice has averaged 9.3 yards a carry and has

rushed for 316 yards and two touchdowns on 34 carries. On defense,

Tre'Davious White and Kevin Toliver II have manned the cornerback spots.

Highest-ranked position group: Offensive line -- LSU's running

game has gotten the attention in 2015, but the offensive line group is composed

of the most top recruits. Maea Teuhema is the only five-star, but Ethan Pocic

and Toby Weathersby were also Rivals100 prospects. Starters William Clapp and

Vadal Alexander were Rivals250 members and Jerald Hawkins was a 5.7, three-star

prospect. The Tigers offensive line narrowly beat out the wide receiver/tight

end group, which had 1,679 total recruiting points.

Class of 2016 recruiting ranking: No. 1 overall, 2,357 recruiting points, 3.53 average star ranking

Where do they come from?

It is not surprising to note that each team calls on its home state as its No. 1 source of players. It is interesting, however, that while the Tide often dip into Louisiana, the Tigers stays clear of Alabama. Here is a breakdown of four states that produce the most players that will be in action on Saturday.

LOUISIANA -- 6,602 total recruiting points on the rosters (LSU 5,436; Alabama 1,256)

Alabama and LSU are both well represented, but LSU by far has the most recruiting points from the state of Louisiana. The Tigers have 45 rated prospects from the state. Five of those 45 are five-star prospects, and 10 were Rivals100 prospects. Five-star Cameron Robinson leads the way for the Louisiana-based Crimson Tide contingent. Alabama currently holds commitments from Louisiana prospects Joshua Perry (2016) and Dare Rosenthal (2018).

ALABAMA -- 3,243 points (Alabama 3,243, LSU 0)

Alabama likes to keep the in-state talent home when possible and the Crimson Tide have the most recruiting points from its home state. In fact, LSU does not have one rated Alabama prospect on its roster. Marlon Humphrey is the highest rated Alabama prospect on the Crimson Tide's roster. He was rated No. 9 in the 2014 recruiting class. LSU is venturing into Alabama though and has a commitment from offensive lineman Jakori Savage in the 2016 class.

TEXAS -- 2,211 (LSU - 1,136; Alabama - 1,075)

Texas will be well represented in the SEC battle, and the talent will be seen on both rosters. Eight Texans are on the Crimson Tide squad including five stars A'Shawn Robinson and Tony Brown. The Tigers have 10 rated Texans on the roster with Jamal Adams and Edward Paris joining Teuhema and Weathersby as former Rivals100 prospects. The Tigers have four Texans committed for the 2016 recruiting class and Alabama has three 2016 commitments from Texas. Eric Monroe and Erick Fowler give the Tigers two Rivals100 Texans, and Alabama has a commitment from Rivals100 defensive tackle Kendell Jones.

GEORGIA -- 1,723 (Alabama - 1,120; LSU - 603)

The fertile grounds of Georgia are a high priority for teams across the country, so it is no surprise to see it well-represented in this matchup. Alabama's Geno Matias-Smith is the highest ranked Georgia prospect on either roster as the only Rivals100 representative. The Crimson Tide has 10 rated Georgians, while LSU's roster has seven, including the likes of Vadal Alexander and Arden Key. Alabama 2016 commitment Miller Forristall is the only Georgia prospect committed to either team in the 2016 recruiting class. Alabama also holds commitments from 2017 Georgia standouts Jake Fromm, Netori Johnson, and Xavier McKinney.

Alabama vs. LSU Recruiting Battles

Gregory Little

DT Kendell Jones, Killeen (Texas) Shoemaker -- Alabama and LSU both made a

strong run at the Texas prospect before he chose the Crimson Tide in the spring.

OT Gregory Little, Allen (Texas) -- The five-star offensive lineman has already

taken his official visit to LSU and he will visit Alabama over the weekend. He

plans to make his choice shortly after his trip to Tuscaloosa. The Tide and

Tigers are not the only ones in the race, but both are fighting hard for his

services. Ole Miss and Georgia are also in the mix.

DT Rashard Lawrence, Monroe (La.) Neville -- The Rivals250 defensive tackle has

had Alabama and LSU high on his list from the beginning. Both are in his top

four with Ohio State and UCLA, and both will likely have hats on the table

whenever he makes his choice.

FB Devin White, Springhill (La.) North Webster -- The Rivals250 running back

would fit well at either program and both were among his first scholarship

offers. Both figure to be among his choices when he makes his decision.

OLB Lyndell Wilson, Montgomery (Ala.) Carver -- LSU is in Wilson's top eight as

is Alabama. The Crimson Tide seem to have a strong position with the linebacker

right now, but the Tigers are in the mix.

ILB Ben Davis, Gordo (Ala.) Gordo -- Alabama is considered the favorite for the

heavy hitting linebacker, but the Tigers are in the mix and he has an official

visit scheduled for November.

DT Marvin Wilson (2017), Houston (Texas) Episcopal -- Wilson is No. 1 in the

2017 recruiting class and he has taken unofficial visits to both LSU and Alabama

during the 2015 season.

ATH Dylan Moses (2017), Baton Rouge (La.) University Lab -- Alabama and LSU

have been on Moses from the very beginning, and both remain in constant contact.

He has taken multiple visits to both schools over the years.