TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- This week, Alabama is trying to focus on itself, not its upcoming foe.

Sure, some of the top-ranked Crimson Tide’s players have started watching film on No. 4 LSU, but for the most part, Alabama is looking to improve Alabama during its Week 9 bye week.

“We’re for sure, for sure not going to look ahead and look at all the stuff that we’ll eventually have to,” defensive tackle Quinnen Williams said. “The bye week is huge for us. Getting the mental errors right, getting the mistakes that we did right and just building on ourselves right now. This week, we’re going into like a faceless opponent, basically.

“Like we’ve got to beat ourselves. We're going to go against the offense just like we’re playing against LSU or Auburn. And the offense is going to go at us like they’re playing LSU or Auburn.”

Noted-film junkie and offensive tackle Jonah Williams added: “I’ve only watched a couple of games. We’re trying to kind of focus on ourselves for the bye week and then we’ll start really focusing on LSU next week. But obviously, I’ve watched a couple of their games.

“They’re always extremely physical up front, a very talented group across the board in linebackers, secondary. Everyone’s really talented, and they’re well-coached. They play within their scheme really well. So, they pose a big challenge for us. I think we have talent, they have talent, so it’s going to be a chess match. It’s going to come down to execution.”

Alabama (8-0, 4-0 SEC) will travel to Baton Rouge, La., in two weeks to take on the Tigers (7-1, 4-1) for a 7 p.m. CT kickoff on CBS. The two teams will meet for the 83rd time in series history, with the Crimson Tide owning the all-time series, 51-25-5 and has defeated the Tigers seven consecutive times, winning the most recent meeting between the two, 24-10, in Tuscaloosa.

But playing inside Tiger Stadium is something a lot of the players are already anticipating.

“Oh man, I hear a lot about them. I hear it’s going to be crazy,” safety Xavier McKinney said. “Of course, I’ve never played there, but I’ve seen YouTube videos of their chants and stuff. I know it’ll be a crazy atmosphere. I kind of happy to play there. I know I’ll enjoy it.”

Alabama takes on LSU under the lights at Bryant-Denny Stadium in 2017.

It is also always a big game for the Louisiana natives on Alabama’s roster. This year, there are 10 scholarship players from the Bayou State, and they’re looking forward to the Nov. 3 game.

“Yeah, a lot of the guys from Louisiana are kind of ready to play this game,” McKinney said. “They’ve kind of been talking to us about getting ready and preparing the right way for LSU.”

The Tigers enter the Week 10 matchup as winners over both of the Bulldog teams in the SEC, including a 36-16 win over then-No. 2 Georgia on Oct. 13. LSU has the No. 3 scoring defense in the league, only allowing 15.1 points per game, and leads the conference in interceptions (14). On offense, Ohio State transfer Joe Burrow is leading the Tigers’ charge at quarterback.

In eight games, Burrow has thrown for 1,544 yards, six touchdowns and three interceptions on 120-of-223 passing. For perspective, Tua Tagovailoa has thrown for 2,066 yards, 25 scores and zero picks on 71 fewer attempts. In the backfield with Burrow are a pair of running backs in Nick Brossette and Clyde Edwards-Helaire that have combined for 1,218 yards. That’s more than Damien Harris, Josh Jacobs and Najee Harris combined (1,191).

“They have a great offense,” McKinney said of LSU. “They do a lot of things well, so we have to be ready to prepare for them the right way. I think we’ll be able to prepare the right way, as long we’re focused. They have a great offense, and they can do a lot of things.”

A night game in Death Valley can be intimidating for some, especially when it’s a matchup of two top-five teams like the one we will see the first weekend of November. But just like the bye week, Alabama isn’t taking a new approach to its next game than others on its schedule.

“The key is you don’t approach it differently,” Jonah Williams said. “I think that we respect every opponent that we play, and we understand LSU is a great opponent. I’ve played in Death Valley and the atmosphere is amazing, but if you’re caught up looking at that -- it takes extreme focus to be able to execute in the ways that we need to to be successful against a really talented team.

“I don’t think there’s any team in the country that’s good enough to get away with not being focused on the little things. So, if you’re looking at the stadium and worried about things like that, you’re not going to be successful.”

Contact Charlie Potter by 247Sports' personal messaging or on Twitter (@Charlie_Potter).

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