The Alabama Crimson Tide and LSU Tigers will be one of the games of the year next week in Baton Rouge, with the loser potentially being eliminated from College Football Playoff contention.

Both teams are going to want all hands on deck in order to have the best chance possible at coming away with a win and pushing the opponent’s season to the brink. While Alabama has a ton of injury issues of their own, one Tigers star could be on track to return.

Superstar linebacker Whit Weeks, who suffered a fracture in his leg in late September, has made good progress and may be able to return to practice next week, with his game action return being targeted for November 7 against Alabama.

An update on LSU star LB Whit Weeks, who suffered a leg fracture Sept. 26:

Has continued to make good progress and may be able to return to practice next week, sources tell @CBSSports.

Even possible he could end up returning to game action as soon as next week vs. Alabama. https://t.co/MkYM6QSEex pic.twitter.com/niQWGco8me

— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) October 28, 2026

Weeks is one of the best linebackers in college football and after a dominant start to the year, the LSU defense has not looked the same without him. He is also the captain and leader of this Tigers team, and in many ways, their heart and soul. His value cannot be understated.

While there is reason for Alabama’s optimism to get several of its injured stars back on the field for this game as well, getting Weeks back would provide a massive boost to LSU and their chances of beating the Crimson Tide.

In a game like this, folks want to see the best play against the best, so Weeks joining guys like Ryan Coleman-Williams, Racin Delgatty and Zabien Brown back on the field would make an already big game even bigger.