Saturday, No. 1 Alabama travels to Death Valley to play CBS' annual night game, with College GameDay in the house. It's by far the biggest game of the weekend and likely one of the biggest games of the year, against all odds that anybody would've given it in September.
From a 2015 Bill Connelly story, titled "LSU-Alabama has become the rivalry most likely to define a college football season:"
Nov. 7, 2009. No. 3 Alabama 24, No. 9 LSU 15. The Tide outgain the Tigers by 199 yards but stall repeatedly, punting three times in LSU territory and throwing an interception inside the LSU 10. LSU takes a 15-10 lead into the fourth quarter, but Greg McElroy hits Julio Jones for 73 yards and the winning points with 10 minutes left. Alabama goes on to win the national title.
Nov. 5, 2011. No. 1 LSU 9, No. 2 Alabama 6. In a battle between Miles' best squad and either Saban's best or second-best in T-Town, LSU wins the most notorious game of the series. Alabama misses three field goals in regulation and a fourth in overtime. Miles' insertion of quarterback Jordan Jefferson provides a glimmer of offensive life, and Eric Reid picks off an AJ McCarron pass at the goal line. Nobody clamors for a rematch, but we get one two months later.
Jan. 9, 2012. No. 2 Alabama 21, No. 1 LSU 0. Given a second chance at the title when Oklahoma State is upset by Iowa State, the Tide take advantage, allowing 92 total yards and not letting LSU cross the 50 until the fourth quarter. Trent Richardson's 34-yard touchdown run secures Bama's 14th national title and Saban's second in three years.
Nov. 3, 2012. No. 1 Alabama 21, No. 5 LSU 17. The one that got away. Trailing 14-3 at halftime, the Tigers surge ahead, 17-14, when Zach Mettenberger connects with Jarvis Landry for a 14-yard score with 13 minutes left. But LSU's Spencer Ware is stuffed on fourth-and-1 with nine minutes remaining, and Drew Alleman misses a field goal with 1:39 left. Given life, the Tide respond. McCarron, just 10-for-22, completes four of five passes on Alabama's final drive, and TJ Yeldon slips into the open field for a 28-yard score with 51 seconds left. Alabama will win another national title two months later.
Nov. 9, 2013. No. 1 Alabama 38, No. 10 LSU 17. In the hunt for a third straight ring, Alabama jumps out to a 17-7 lead. But the Tigers reel the Tide in, tying the game early in the third. Saban turns the tables on the trickeration-minded Miles. Jarrick Williams converts a fake punt, which leads to a Yeldon touchdown and a lead Bama will never relinquish. The Tide score twice in the fourth and will remain undefeated until a trip to Auburn.
And 2015, when the No. 4 Tide hosted the No. 2 Tigers and took the W, Leonard Fournette's Heisman lead (Bama's Derrick Henry won it), and the second-to-last bit of mojo from the Les Miles era. Miles would lose five of his last eight games against Power 5 teams and surrender his job to Ed Orgeron.
2016's edition seemed likely to fall short of the rivalry's recent standard.
The Tigers started 2-2 and went through a coaching change. Making a bowl was no longer guaranteed. The passing game had failed to improve, Fournette was injured, and the Tide's toughest game left looked to be their trip to Tennessee. (September is wrong about everything.)
And yet, thanks to Coach O's new plan on offense, a friendly October schedule, and those teams LSU lost to (Auburn and Wisconsin) actually being good after all, the Tigers are No. 13 entering the Bama game.
Do the Tigers actually have a shot? They do, as we've said for each of the five meetings in a row that have not gone LSU's way. Bill explains that the path toward an upset is simple, though of course not easy. The S&P+ system predicts the Tigers to at least cover the touchdown spread at home, LSU is one of the few teams in the country that can nearly match Bama's ridiculous raw talent levels, and the remodeled coaching staff certainly appears to be an upgrade, as far as games go.
"But LSU-Bama never has enough points."
First of all, 9-6 was a damn classic. That was two NFL teams playing in a college stadium, other than at certain positions that involve passing the football. 21-0 was bad, yeah.
Secondly, these teams actually try to score points now and are usually successful. Bama started opening it up years before LSU did, in fact. We're going to get two teams with elite talent on both sides of the ball that actually try to use all of it at all times, with at least a share of the SEC West on the line.
Anyway, I say all that to say this: LEGGO.
Saturday Night. Death Valley. Here Come the TIgers #LSU #PurpleRain #BamaWeek pic.twitter.com/AjbTc41QfJ
— LSU Football Video (@LSUFBVideo) November 3, 2016
Elsewhere!
Even Miles is out here talking about running a Baylor or Western Michigan offense at his next coaching stop.
Yep, Colorado is good. Let's review this fact and talk to Coach Mike MacIntyre about it. (This was partially confirmed Thursday, when the Buffs uncharacteristically gave up four turnovers and 12 penalties against UCLA and still won by two scores.)
The Chicago Cubs have a title. Which school is college football's Chicago Cubs?
Let's talk to some economists who think five-star recruits might be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars to their schools.
We might have an unusually high number of preseason-ranked teams missing bowls! Along those lines, Notre Dame is 3-5.
The Big Ten wants to play games on Friday nights now. This is bad.
The SEC East is on course to have the worst Power 5 division for the second year in a row.
How Washington's offense works.
Mike Leach has found a way to offend another conference rival coach. Seems like a reach, IMO.
The Shutdown Fullcast previews your weekend, with audio as rocky and repulsive as ever. Podcast Ain't Played Nobody and The Solid Verbal remain far more professional endeavors.
Playoff #ramifications notes will be tracked here, all weekend long.
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