LSU knows the drill.Teams facing opponents ranked in the nation’s top 10 play with emotion and adrenaline because they feel they have nothing to lose, and very few people expect them to win.The Tigers have become familiar with that trend because LSU has been ranked in the national top 10 in 40 of its last 48 games. And LSU was ranked higher than its opponent in 33 of those games.But this weekend the roles are reversed, and LSU is on the outside of the top 10 looking up from No. 15 in the polls as they take on No. 1 Alabama.The Tigers opened as 3.5-point underdogs in Las Vegas on Sunday, marking the first time in the Les Miles’ era LSU isn’t favored to win in Tiger Stadium, where LSU has won 29 of its past 32 games.Though official records aren’t kept, experts and pundits believe the last time LSU was not favored to win a home game was against Georgia in 2003, a game the Tigers won 17-10.LSU senior fullback Quinn Johnson said the underdog role isn’t one the Tigers are shying away from.”Of course I feel like the underdog,” he said. “We have nowhere to go but up. We’re going to go out there and give everything we’ve got, because we feel like we can’t lose anything.”LSU knows all too well the difficulties of being considered the nation’s best team.The Tigers were ranked No. 1 last season on two separate occasions and was dethroned each time by an unranked opponent.LSU senior defensive lineman Marlon Favorite said he embraces an opportunity to be the hunter instead of the hunted this weekend.”The underdog fights the hardest,” he said. “Our focus isn’t about fulfilling a ranking or living up to a ranking but just going out there and playing our best game of the season, and it’s easier to play when that is your focus.”The last two times LSU has faced a No. 1 ranked team, the Tigers were victorious.LSU defeated No. 1 Ohio State, 38-24, last season to win the BCS National Championship game. LSU defeated No. 1 Florida, 28-21, in 1997 under former coach Gerry DiNardo, marking the last time the top-ranked team played in Tiger Stadium.LSU coach Les Miles said he won’t use either of those games this week as motivation for Alabama.”That’s not really our push,” he said. “Our push is to play well and do the things that we are capable of doing and to really focus on our team. They are the No.1-ranked team.” Miles said he doesn’t put much stock in who is favored to win a game, and he feels confident knowing he will have the strength of more than 92,000 fans cheering LSU on this weekend.”I think the atmosphere in that stadium will be very live, very emotional and a passionate one,” Miles said. “I think our team enjoys those environments. I think we’ll play well. Certainly, being at home in front of a loud, supportive LSU crowd will be key. I encourage them to root for us hard.”—-Contact Casey Gisclair at [email protected]