The matchup also marks the last annual installment of the rivalry before the series loses its yearly spot on the schedule.
No. 5 Alabama heads into Death Valley to face No. 14 LSU in a game both teams can ill afford to lose if they want to stay in the College Football Playoff conversation. Both schools enter at 6-2 and coming off a bye, setting up what amounts to a chess match between Kalen DeBoer and Lane Kiffin.
Alabama's playoff resume so far leans on a win over an unranked Kentucky and a rout of then-No. 16 Mississippi State. A win at LSU would go a long way toward locking up their spot, while a loss would leave their postseason hopes dependent on other results. LSU, with a tougher remaining schedule, treats this one as close to a must-win.
There is extra weight to this edition beyond the standings. Alabama and LSU have played every year since 1964, but that annual tradition ends after this game. The series will pick back up in Tuscaloosa in 2028, though not as a yearly fixture, since the SEC left it out when assigning each school three permanent opponents under the new nine-game conference schedule. Kiffin called the change "sad" but said the decision likely came down to money.