Alabama: McCarron has fit the definition of an Alabama QB. He completed 66.7 percent of his passes for 2,400 yards, 16 TDs and just five INTs. Hardly the stuff of Heisman consideration, but perfect for a program known for its running game and defense. McCarron went 152 consecutive attempts without an INT, the third-longest streak in school history. He showed some individual flashes, throwing for a career-best 284 yards against Tennessee, then tossing four TDs vs. Vanderbilt. But with Alabama's approach, McCarron is usually at his best when he's hardly noticed.

LSU: Jefferson was suspended for the season's first four games following his involvement in a bar fight on Aug. 19. Since returning, he was slowly incorporated back into the QB rotation. The Tigers went with Jarrett Lee through much of the season and his efficiency was superb (62.3 completion percentage, 14 TD passes, just three interceptions). But Jefferson offers a much-higher upside for LSU and also the dimension of running (248 yards). It's a potent 1-2 punch, but all indications are that it's Jefferson's team now.

Edge: LSU

Alabama: Richardson, third in the Heisman voting, is the nation's best overall running back. He pretty much makes for a one-man edge in this category. Richardson, a perfect blend of power and speed, galloped for 1,583 yards and 20 TDs. He had nine 100-yard rushing games. Eddie Lacy (631 yards, 7.5 average) and Jalston Fowler (385 yards, 6.9 average) are solid alternatives when Richardson needs a break.

LSU: Few national-title contenders have ever displayed the versatility of LSU's rushing attack. The Tigers are led by a trio of sophomores - Michael Ford (755 yards, seven TDs), Spencer Ware (700, eight) and Alfred Blue (539, seven). Factor in change-of-pace Kenny Hilliard (320, eight) and LSU has four running backs with at least seven rushing TDs - a first in school history. LSU also has 35 overall rushing TDs, tying a school record.

Edge: Alabama

Alabama: The Crimson Tide's passing game, conservative by nature, has a go-to guy in Maze (56 receptions), but his playmaking ability has been limited to just one TD and an 11.2-yard average. Receivers Darius Hanks and Kenny Bell are complementary players, while tight end Brad Smelley (27 catches, three TDs) has been dependable when called upon.

LSU: Randle is clearly the focal point of LSU's deep passing game. He has 50 receptions for 904 yards, an 18.1-yard average and eight TDs. Randle also had four 100-yard receiving games, the most since Michael Clayton had four in 2003. Elsewhere, freshman Odell Beckham Jr. showed great promise (36 receptions), while tight end Deangelo Peterson was reliable (17 catches) in limited opportunities. The season of Russell Shepard (14 catches) was clouded by a three-game suspension for NCAA rules violations, but he's capable of a big night.

Edge: LSU

Alabama: The numbers are gaudy. Alabama averages 219.8 yards rushing (tops in the five-season Nick Saban era) and 5.6 yards per carry with 33 scores on the ground. Trent Richardson and his backfield mates are tremendous, but even they would give a majority of the credit to Alabama's OL. The Tide has a veteran group that combines for 139 career starts. Jones, the junior All-American LT, is the headliner, but senior C William Vlachos and sophomore RT D.J. Fluker are among the nation's best at their positions.

LSU: It's all about continuity for this group, perhaps the most valuable yet unheralded unit on the SEC champs. Hebert, the RG and son of former NFL QB Bobby Hebert, is the line's most versatile player. RT Alex Hurst, C P.J. Lonergan and LG Will Blackwell were all returning starters. Fitting in seamlessly at LT was sophomore Chris Faulk, who is only the fourth player since 2002 to play that position for LSU (along with the 52 starts of Andrew Whitworth, the 53 starts of Ciron Black and the 13 starts of Joseph Barksdale).

Edge: Alabama

Alabama: The Tide's 3-4 alignment doesn't feature a dominating defensive lineman - they do the dirty work, while big plays are made by the linebackers - but it's a capable group. It helped Alabama's defense limit its opponents to a nation-leading 191.2 yards per game, along with a 2.5-yard per carry average on the ground with just three rushing TDs allowed. The regulars are Williams, a junior DE, senior NG Josh Chapman and junior DE Damion Square.

LSU: It has been Defensive Line University through much of the past decade at LSU. This season was no different. The bookends - Montgomery, a sophomore, and senior Kendrick Adams - led the way for a unit that brought withering pressure to its foes. Montgomery, one of the nation's top young defensive players, had eight sacks and 12 tackles for a loss. Adams served as a stabilizing force. Significant damage was created by sophomore interior linemen Michael Brockers and Bennie Logan, who displayed the speed and backfield-wrecking ability that belied their run-stuffing size.

Edge: LSU

Alabama: Dynamic. That's the best way to describe Alabama's linebacker corps. It's a unit that features leadership, game-altering play-making ability and eye-popping athleticism. Senior Courtney Upshaw had perhaps the nation's most disruptive season with 17 tackles for a loss and 8.5 sacks. Hightower, a senior, is Alabama's leading tackler (81), but he also has three sacks and 9.5 tackles for a loss.

LSU: Although there were no cinch all-star candidates in the group, the LSU linebackers received capable leadership from seniors Stefoin Francois and Baker. In the middle, the Tigers have a future star in sophomore Kevin Minter.

Edge: Alabama

Alabama: Barron gets most of the attention - justifiably so - because of his leadership, run support and clutch play against the pass. But the Tide also has a pair of standout cornerbacks in junior Dre Kirkpatrick and senior DeQuan Menzie. Overall, Alabama allows just 116.3 yards per game through the air and it surrendered only six TD passes all season, while nabbing 12 INTs.

LSU: It's not hyperbole to suggest LSU has one of the best secondary units in recent college football history. The overall athleticism resembles a track team and the statistics (54 pass breakups, 18 INTs) bear that out. Mathieu, the "Honey Badger'' and a Heisman finalist, was one of the nation's premier defensive playmakers. Opponents tended to avoid him, but Mathieu had a knack for disrupting the offensive rhythm. The other corner, junior Morris Claiborne, saw more action and he made opposing quarterbacks pay dearly. The Thorpe Award winner had six INTs and averaged 28.8 yards on his returns with one TD. The safeties, senior Brandon Taylor and soph. Eric Reid, are ultra-steady.

Edge: LSU

Alabama: Shelley converted on 16 of 20 field-goal attempts, but was unreliable on long-distance tries. The lingering image of Alabama place-kicking this season, of course, is not favorable. Cade Foster (2-for-9 on the season) missed three field goals in Alabama's 9-6 OT loss against LSU on Nov. 5, including a 52-yarder on the opening possession of that extra session.

LSU: Man of the hour? Maybe so. If anyone can be heartened by LSU's 9-6 OT victory against Alabama, it's Alleman, who booted a 25-yard game-winning field goal to end that defensive scrum. Overall, he converted on 16 of 18 field-goal attempts and led the SEC with an 88.9 percentage.

Edge: LSU

Alabama: Maze, Alabama's standout WR, is equally dangerous on kickoff returns, where he averages 28.5 yards. Trent Richardson, Alabama's star RB, was the Tide's primary kickoff returner last season, but Nick Saban, playing a hunch, shifted those duties to Maze before the season opener. Maze hasn't disappointed.

LSU: Claiborne receives the expected plaudits as a shutdown CB, but his kickoff-return ability can't be ignored. Claiborne averages 26.1 yards per return and he scored on a 99-yarder against West Virginia when a half-dozen Mountaineers seemingly had the angle and had him hemmed in. Nope. Claiborne wiggled, juked, found the opening, then turned on his jets and motored to the end zone.

Edge: Alabama

Alabama: Mandell, a recruited walk-on from Lafayette, La., has had a pedestrian season. His gross average of 38.9 yards is, well, average. On the positive side, he placed nearly one-third of his punts inside the 20-yard line and nearly half resulted in a fair catch. Alabama's punt coverage unit limits opponents to only 5.0 yards per return.

LSU: Wing, a first-team All-American from Australia, has been dynamic with a 44.1-yard average, 23 punts inside the 20-yard line and 12 that resulted in a fair catch. He also had arguably the biggest play of the first meeting at Alabama: a 73-yard punt when LSU was pinned deep in its own territory. The most ridiculous stat is 0.4. That's the average punt-return yardage for LSU foes this season (6 total yards on 17 returns). Credit Wing's hang-time and placement, but also an aggressive coverage unit. Wing was the only player in the country this year to have a TD called back because of college football's new taunting rule, as his score on a fake punt against Florida was nullified.

Edge: LSU

Alabama: Tide fans probably thought they might have to wait another generation before finding a punt-return man as dangerous as All-American Javier Arenas, a catalyst on Alabama's `09 national-title team. Well, the Tide has another great one in Maze, the team's best receiver, who averages 12.4 yards on punt returns. His 83-yard punt-return score against Arkansas was one of the best individual efforts in Alabama's season.

LSU: Why would anyone - ever - want to kick it to Mathieu? In each of his last two games - against Arkansas, then against Georgia for the SEC title - Mathieu scored on a pair of weaving, dizzying 92-yard returns. He's fearless. He's elusive. He averages 16.2 yards per punt return. He can make you miss. And once he gets the corner, he's gone. In short, he's everything a coach dreams about in a punt-return man.

Edge: LSU

Alabama: Give Saban two weeks to prepare for an opponent, they say, and Alabama's chances at victory go up exponentially. What happens with nearly six weeks of preparation? Especially when Saban can pick apart the mistakes from the 9-6 OT loss against LSU on Nov. 5? Saban, with a reputation as the nation's most methodically organized collegiate coach, is 49-12 in five seasons at Alabama (and 140-54-1 in 16 overall collegiate seasons). If he collects his 50th win with the Crimson Tide on Jan. 9, Saban will have captured three BCS national titles in nine seasons (his first title was at LSU). Can you say, "Hall of Fame?''

LSU: Miles is one victory away from completing one of the most impressive seasons by a collegiate coach - ever. LSU is going for its ninth victory against a ranked team this season - and its fourth win against a Top 5 team. Miles is revered by Tiger players for his ability to bring a team together and get it to focus on a common goal. He is best-known for playing hunches and fearlessly acting on instincts, but probably doesn't get enough credit for his X-and-O tactical knowledge.

Edge: Alabama

Alabama: "Big Al'' is a costumed elephant, which officially debuted at the 1979 Sugar Bowl. Elephants don't tie in with a Crimson Tide, right? So what gives? According to a popular account, a sportswriter in 1930 wrote that a fan exclaimed, "Hold your horses, the elephants are coming!'' when Alabama's players ran onto the field. The name stuck. A student began wearing an elephant-head mascot costume in the `60s and it gained in popularity until it was accepted as the school's official mascot (with Bear Bryant's blessing).

LSU: Since 1935, LSU has used a live tiger - "Mike the Tiger'' - as its official mascot and the sixth tiger in that lineage is currently in place. On home game days, Mike's cage on wheels is parked by the southeast corner of Tiger Stadium, where opposing players must pass by in order to reach their locker room. Mike VI, which debuted in 2007, is a Bengali-Siberian hybrid. There is also a costumed "Mike the Tiger'' that appears at LSU sporting events. In 1935, LSU raised $750 (collecting 25 cents from each student) and purchased a 200-pound, one-year-old Tiger from the Little Rock Zoo. Thus, a tradition had begun.

Edge: LSU

Alabama: From "Yea Alabama'' to "Rammer Jammer,'' Tide fans are noisy, lyrical, enthusiastic, colorful and omnipresent. The tradition has been passed from generation to generation. Most of their fervor is directed toward the 365-day-a-year rivalry with Auburn, but its air of national superiority has returned in full force. It's as loyal and loud of a fan base as you'll ever find.

LSU: They come early. They stay late. And in between, the party rages on for fans of LSU. If there's a better group of tailgaters in the nation, we'd sure like to see them. The pregame parking area at an LSU game would rival any of the finest restaurants. Once the game gets going, these are not shy people, either. They are loud, aggressive and passionate. Twice, LSU has won BCS title games in New Orleans, covering the Superdome with purple-and-gold. Look for it to happen again, although mixed in with the SEC brethren from Alabama, the noise level could reach an all-time high..

Edge: LSU