By BJ Bennett
SouthernPigskin.com

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Comparing the rosters of Alabama and LSU, potentially college football’s two most-talented teams.

Alabama and LSU may have college football’s two most talented rosters. As usual, both have championship expectations. Though their November 5th meeting in Death Valley will help shape the season, expect the Crimson Tide and Tigers to be compared and contrasted endlessly before and after. Some have already speculated, see the 2012 BCS National Championship Game, that the SEC West could have two representatives in the College Football Playoff.

Defending national champion Alabama is ranked is number one in the pre-season polls, with LSU not far behind. While the debate will be settled on the field soon enough, ranking the rosters shows just how much power and potential these two proud programs truly have.

Here’s a position-by-position look;

Quarterback
About the only place you can find questions for the Crimson Tide and the Tigers is under center. LSU has a more experienced option in junior Brandon Harris, who has 27 career total touchdowns. With 13 career starts, Harris has been on the big stage against the best competition in the country. The goal, this fall, is improved efficiency. Purdue-transfer Danny Etling started a dozen games for the Boilermakers before redshirting in 2015. Alabama has a number of talented candidates and it looks like junior Cooper Bateman, last year’s top reserve, will get the initial nod. Advantage — LSU

Running Back
Every season, it seems, the Crimson Tide have a superstar tailback. Though Heisman Trophy winner Derrick Henry is gone, it’s fair to expect more of the same. At 6’2”, 230 pounds, Bo Scarbrough certainly looks the part. The Tigers, however, have the nation’s best running back in Leonard Fournette. With 162.7 yards per game a year ago, Fournette led the nation in rushing by nearly 15 yards per contest. Expect 2,000 yards and 25+ touchdowns from the consensus pre-season All-American and pure superstar. He will set the tone as the purple and gold make another title run. Advantage — LSU

Wide Receiver
Along with Texas A&M, Alabama and LSU have the SEC’s top collection of pass-catchers. Just a true sophomore, Calvin Ridley is the league’s best. He led the conference with 89 receptions, breaking Amari Cooper’s single-season freshman record. ArDarius Stewart is also back after 63 catches. Tight end O.J. Howard earned MVP honors in the championship game with five grabs for 208 yards and two scores. Former Bowling Green standout Gehrig Dieter, 94 catches in 2015, is now in Tuscaloosa. The Tigers have a tremendous one-two tandem in prototypes Malachi Dupre and Travin Dural, a pair of athletic studs who can’t be stopped in single coverage. Advantage — Alabama

Offensive Line
Both teams pride themselves on their physicality and are annually two of the best teams in the country along the front five. The units are especially-effective at opening lanes in the running game. Cam Robinson is college football’s premier offensive tackle for the Crimson Tide, while LSU boasts star guard-turned-center Ethan Pocic. Alabama has one of the nation’s best collections of incoming talent in the trenches, to go along with perhaps the top overall blocker in the game. Advantage — Alabama

Defensive Line
The Crimson Tide have a number of proven commodities up front, including All-American defensive end Jonathan Allen, who has 17 sacks and 25.5 tackles for loss the past two years. Da’Shawn Hand is a dynamic difference-maker. Alabama’s success stopping the run, the Crimson Tide led the nation in that category in 2015, is rooted here. Also very talented up front, the Tigers suffered a blow when senior tackle Christian LaCouture went down with a season-ending injury. Davon Godchaux steps into a starring role in LSU’s new three-man front. Advantage — Alabama

Linebacker
It doesn’t get any better than what the Crimson Tide have in the middle of the field defensively. Tim Williams (10.5 sacks), Reuben Foster (73 tackles) and Ryan Anderson (11.5 tackles for loss) lead an aggressive, attacking unit that simply overwhelms opponents at the point of attack. Veteran Kendell Beckwith paces an extremely good group for the Tigers. Former end Arden Key, now a stand-up edge-rusher in coordinator Dave Aranda’s scheme, will be one of the SEC’s biggest x-factors. Advantage — Alabama

Secondary
Another spot where it’s hard to differentiate, these might be the top two defensive backfields in the country. Alabama is led by senior safety Eddie Jackson, who tied for the conference lead with six interceptions in 2015, the quarterback of the defense. Sophomores Minkah Fitzpatrick and Marlon Humphrey, who recovered the key onsides kick in the title bout, are more than ready for the big-time. Fresh off of a four-interception season, LSU’s Jamal Adams is also one of the best ballhawks in the game. Teams simply don’t test shut-down cover corner Tre’Davious White. Advantage — LSU

Special Teams
All-conference punter JK Scott is a true weapon for the Crimson Tide, flipping field position and pinning opponents deep regularly. Veteran kicker Adam Griffith, who has struggled with consistency, showed some improvement a year ago. Alabama blocked the most kicks of any power five team this past fall. For the Tigers, Trent Domingue is a reliable in the kicking game and Tre’Davious White is a top-tier return man. LSU struggled in punt coverage in 2015. Advantage — Alabama

Coaching
With all due respect to the great Les Miles, it’s impossible to go against Nick Saban by any measure or metric. With Kirby Smart gone to Georgia, Jeremy Pruitt will look to maintain the status quo on defense. Miles brought in one of the premier defensive minds in football in Dave Aranda. Previously with Wisconsin, Aranda’s Badgers led the nation in scoring defense a year ago.Advantage — Alabama

The overall count is in favor of the Crimson Tide, though the Tigers arguably have an edge at the game’s most important position and perhaps college football’s best player. Looking ahead to early November, Alabama, winners of four straight in the series, must go to Baton Rouge. In the Crimson Tide’s last trip to Death Valley, overtime proved to be the difference. However you see it, Alabama and LSU are two of the nation’s most talented teams and two of the unquestioned front-runners to make the College Football Playoff.