Alabama-LSU: Not even Saban downplays magnitude

Even Nick Saban isn’t protesting too loudly that Alabama-LSU is just another game. The stakes are too high and the rivalry just too compelling. “It’s probably hard for everybody to think that this is just another game,” Saban said. For the top-ranked Crimson Tide’s laser-focused coach, that amounts to a monumental concession to what tonight’s meeting ( 5, CBS) with the Tigers in Tuscaloosa, Ala., means for both teams and fan bases. For Alabama (8-0, 5-0 SEC), it represents one of the biggest remaining hurdles toward a crack at a third consecutive national title. LSU (7-2, 3-2) hopes to spoil that bid and still turn the season into something special. – AP