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It's rare that a defending national champion is nearly a 30-point underdog. However, that's the situation that LSU finds themselves in for its upcoming home game against No. 1 Alabama on Saturday.

William Hill Sportsbook has LSU listed as a 29-point underdog for the game. According to ESPN's David Purdum, that total is the largest for a defending national champion in the last 40 college football seasons. And as far as school history goes, LSU hasn't been this big of an underdog since they were given 28-points against another No. 1 team, Florida State, in 1991.

LSU joins the Auburn Tigers in 2011 as the only other defending national championship team to be a more than 20-point underdog after winning it all, according to ESPN. Cam Newton led Auburn to a dominant 2010 regular season, which culminated in them winning the national championship game in early 2011. Later that year in the following regular season, Auburn were 21-point underdogs in three games.

This year's LSU team certainly looks a whole lot different than the powerhouse that won the College Football Playoff a season ago. Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Joe Burrow, wideout Justin Jefferson, running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire, linebacker K'Lavon Chaisson and linebacker Patrick Queen were all selected in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft after helping lead the Tigers to glory.

During their sensational run to a national championship last season, LSU beat seven different top 10 teams. They ended up defeating Clemson, 42-25, in the national title game.

This year's LSU squad has a 3-4 record with losses at the hands of Auburn, Mississippi State, Missouri and Texas A&M. Aside from its 45-41 loss to Missouri, all of their losses were by double-digits.