Alabama Football: Problem for LSU is Tiger Stadium is Bryant-Denny West

facebooktwitterreddit

The LSU gripes about Alabama football go way back, long before losing Devin White for a half of football in Tiger Stadium.

Alabama football and LSU are rivals but not in the form of hatred from the cradle to grave. The rancor having surfaced after the Devin White suspension has only been a thing since 2007. Older Crimson Tide fans remember Paul Bryant and LSU head coach, Charlie McClendon were longtime and truly good friends.

Of course, Bryant almost single-handedly ruined McClendon’s head coaching career. ‘Cholly Mac’ as Bear called him was only able to beat Bryant’s Alabama teams twice in 15 tries.

What now rages as a seething rivalry goes back to just 2007. It was triggered by a twice-spurned LSU fanbase. First, Nick Saban left LSU to coach in the NFL. The Bengals Tigers were mightily disappointed since Saban was only one season past having won LSU a national championship in 2003. The LSU anti-Saban hate was heavily magnified in 2007 when Nick returned to college football at Alabama.

LSU has bigger problems than losing Devin White for a half or being spurned by Nick Saban. The Bengal Tigers struggle to win against Alabama football in Tiger Stadium. The first Alabama vs. LSU game held in then a very young Tiger Stadium was in 1925. Wallace Wade’s team thumped LSU 42-0.

Alabama football has won 25 games in Baton Rouge going back to that game in 1925. As a point of reference, LSU has only won 24 games against the Crimson Tide EVER, going back to 1902. Check out some other stats that cause LSU fans pain.

  • Alabama football has not lost in Tiger Stadium since 2010.
  • The 21st-century record in Baton Rouge is 5-4, favoring the Tide. One of those four wins for LSU came when Saban coached the Bengal Tigers.
  • Saban also had one of his worst defeats as a college head coach against Alabama football and Dennis Franchione in 2002, with LSU losing 31-0. LSU was ranked No. 14 in the nation going into that game.
  • Taking about Crimson Tide, Baton Rouge dominance; from 1971-1998, the Tide was 13-1-1 in Tiger Stadium.
  • The record when both teams are in the Top 10 is 9-2 in favor of the Crimson Tide.
  • Another craw in the side of many LSU fans is the understanding Les Miles’ 2007 national championship, LSU team was aided significantly by Nick Saban recruits.

In fairness to this discussion, I confess a fondness for LSU going back to the Chinese Bandits. Leaving that story for another day, I wish the Bengal Tigers would not whine so much now. They have a wonderful tradition, arguably unlike any other in CFB. A football game in Tiger Stadium is truly special. Unquestionably, SEC football is better when LSU has a top team. Why can’t the nonsense claims about Alabama and SEC collusion be dropped and let’s all enjoy the rivalry?

Free Devin White and the Rest of Us. dark. Next

Alabama football is close to a two-touchdown favorite to beat LSU for the eighth straight time. Given what has transpired this week, I don’t know if the LSU faithful can cope with such a result.