Paul Finebaum predicts winner of College Football Playoff 'eliminator' game between Alabama, LSU

No. 11 Alabama vs. No. 15 LSU, the top-ranked game of the weekend, will be for everything for each team. With that, Paul Finebaum made his prediction for one of the conference and season’s most important games.

Finebaum made the selection while on ‘Get Up’ on Friday morning. To him, this is the biggest game of the year to this point in college football considering the loser of it will be out of contention for the playoff following the final result in Baton Rouge on Saturday.

“This is the biggest game of the year in college football. Not because these are the two best teams but this is the first playoff eliminator,” said Finebaum. “The loser really has almost no path back. The winner has a chance to figure it out.”

In the expanded version of the College Football Playoff, undefeated, one-loss, or two-loss teams are those that are mostly the ones in the mix for the field. A three-loss one could be in in certain scenarios but almost certainly not in this first season of it, which is why it makes all the difference with both the Crimson Tide and the Tigers being at 6-2 overall.

As for the actual game, Finebaum wants to see the quarterback battle between Jalen Milroe and Garrett Nussmeier. Both are among the best in the conference and the country and each will have a lot to do with who wins this one.

“It’s about both quarterbacks,” said Finebaum. “I happen to like Jalen Milroe. He’s a dual-threat. Nussmeier is an outstanding passer but he throws the ball. He can complete anything like every other quarterback we know.”

All in all, Finebaum then made his prediction for Alabama to win tomorrow night in Death Valley. That would keep the Crimson Tide well in contention to make the College Football Playoff while ending the Tigers’ chances of doing to themselves.

“I like LSU to go down at home,” said Finebaum.