BATON ROUGE - Whether it's professional or college football, two of the year's biggest sports match-ups will happen just hours apart in south Louisiana this weekend.

On Saturday, LSU takes on its longtime rival, the Alabama Crimson Tide. For the first time since 2012, both teams are ranked in the top five of the AP poll going in. On top of that, Bama and the Tigers are ranked #1 and #3 respectively in the first official College Football Playoff Rankings of the season.

At the end of each year, only the top four teams in the CFBP rankings compete for a national championship, meaning the loser of Saturday's game is likely out of contention for the title game. The stakes are so high for Saturday's game, ESPN Gameday will be live on LSU's campus ahead of kickoff.

SEE YOU TOMORROW, BATON ROUGE pic.twitter.com/BfDcAGRFsA

— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) November 2, 2018

Despite the teams giving fans a close game each year, the Tide has a 7-0 record against LSU since 2011, including that year's national championship game. And while many analysts aren't giving LSU good odds against Nick Saban's squad, the Tigers are feeling good about their chances at home.

We. Are. Not. Scared.
We’re Not Backing Down! pic.twitter.com/A3r7srW5Ev

Trending News

• Did NBA Youngboy's Louisiana accent help break major drug case against rapper in Utah?
• Officials respond to crash on Airline Highway at Coursey Boulevard

— LSU Football (@LSUfootball) November 1, 2018

Win or lose Saturday, Louisiana football fans still have another marquee match-up to look forward to Sunday as the 6-1 New Orleans Saints host the 8-0 Los Angeles Rams. The Rams, who have been named Super Bowl favorites since week one, have yet to take a loss in the regular season.

But many analysts are predicting the upstart Los Angeles team will finally meet their match when they take on the Saints in the Superdome. In fact, it's the first time all season that the Rams have not been favored going into a Sunday.

The consequences for this game may not be as dire as those in Saturday's college match-up in Baton Rouge, but it could carry playoff implications at the end of the year. A win Sunday would give the Saints a tiebreaker over the Rams in the NFC playoff picture and a more stable lead over the Panthers in the NFC South divisional race.

But with the playoffs still a ways off, the immediate takeaway from Sunday's game will be bragging rights. After all, who doesn't want to take down the best team? And if LSU gets a win Saturday, Louisiana might pull it off two nights in a row.

Kickoff for Bama and LSU is set for 7 p.m. Saturday, and the Saints will take on the Rams at 3:25 p.m. Sunday.