An Alabama Football series that became as big as the Iron Bowl and bigger than the Tennessee game is no longer huge. At its peak in the 2008-2011 seasons, Alabama and LSU evenly split the four regular-season games. The Alabama Crimson Tide slammed the door on that presumed comparable status with a dominating National Championship win to close the 2011 season.
The National Championship win was the first of eight straight Tide wins over the Bengal Tigers. Then, fortune shined on LSU. In a magical 2019 season, LSU took down the Tide in Tuscaloosa.
Led by foolishly articulated predictions, the Cajun Nation actually thought it would own the Crimson Tide going forward. A 38-point loss, in Baton Rouge, last November slammed the door in LSU’s face. Many Alabama football players intend to make a similar (maybe even bigger) statement Saturday night in Tuscaloosa.
As we published four years ago, the series between the Tide and the Bengal Tigers has often been a quirky one. Alabama leads the overall series with a 54-26-5 record. The most remarkable fact about the series is the Alabama Crimson Tide record in Baton Rouge. From 1965 through 1998, Alabama’s record in Baton Rouge was 16 wins, one loss and one tie. This century Alabama has been a little less dominating at Tiger Stadium, winning seven of the 11 games.
Historically, LSU’s bigger rival was Ole Miss. That changed, in part because of what Nick Saban accomplished in his five LSU seasons. Saban built a Championship program in Baton Rouge and won a National Championship while doing it. LSU fans were crushed when Saban left for the Miami Dolphins after the 2004 season.
Saban’s return to Alabama Football
They became enraged when Saban, after two NFL seasons, returned to college football in Tuscaloosa. Many have yet to forgive Saban. Not only has Saban won over LSU in 11 of 15 games since 2007, he beats them off the field as well. LSU must share the state of Louisiana’s top recruits with Alabama.
LSU has a proud football tradition. The Bengal Tigers have four National Championships since the poll-era began. Nick Saban provided one, and probably had as much to do with another one, as did Les Miles in 2007.
LSU can become a top program again. That again will be after Nick Saban walks away from coaching. Now, the LSU fanbase wants to hide its eyes until the demoralizing experience in Tuscaloosa is over. To distract themselves, many harbor the delusion Jimbo Fisher or Lincoln Riley will soon arrive in Baton Rouge to be their savior.
Records for the post were provided by mcubed.net
LSU’s plan to throw out a $9M salary for a new coach may not work. There are possibly serious problems ahead in terms of penalties, sanctions and further eroding of reputation. Some coaches will take on the risk but some of the top names being mentioned will not.