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Lane Kiffin Reflects on Alabama-LSU Yearly Matchup Ending
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- Lane Kiffin Reflects on Alabama-LSU Yearly Matchup Ending
(Jordan Prather-Imagn Images)
The Alabama Crimson Tide have been one of the more storied programs in all of college football over the years.
Alabama has won plenty of championships in the process, establishing themselves as a top team. But one area that has allowed the Crimson Tide to thrive has been all the rivalries that have been forced during this time.
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One of the bigger ones comes against the LSU Tigers, who have been a thorn in the Crimson Tide's side for years. The two teams have played each other every single season since 1964, cementing a strong rivalry.
But starting in 2027, the two sides will no longer be facing off against one another each season. Due to a shift in scheduling by the SEC, teams will have "permanent" rivals on their schedules going forward.
For Alabama, the teams will be Auburn, Mississippi State, and Tennessee. And for LSU, it will be Texas A&M, Arkansas, and Ole Miss.
Alabama and LSU will still play each other, just not every season and the next time that they are scheduled to face off is in 2028. They will then play at least once every two seasons following that.
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But LSU head coach Lane Kiffin isn't happy about the schedule changes, especially taking away this long rivalry from players and fans. Kiffin made his thoughts known ahead of the two teams squaring off this weekend in Baton Rouge.
"I think that's just sad," Kiffin said . "And I understand, so I'm not being critical. All the decisions, usually, I think all of them probably really come down to money, whether that's the realignments, whether that's the rivalries. So, I think it's all sad in general in the big picture of things that money drives to make [changes to] such great traditions and rivalries."
Kiffin coached at Alabama under former head coach Nick Saban, as the team's offensive coordinator between 2014-16. The now LSU head coach understands the magnitude of the rivalry, with each team circling the game on the schedule each season.
However, this will now have to change, which isn't fair to the fans and players on the teams going forward. The game this weekend will be even bigger now , especially since both sides have something to prove on the field.
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Both sides will be coming off a bye, with each team sitting at 6-2 on the season so far. With the game being in baton Rouge, Alabama will certainly be facing a tough challenge on their hands.
Tiger Stadium is one of the toughest places to play in all of college football, and teams tend to have a lot of problems there. But this Crimson Tide team is battle-tested from the year, and this group will be coming in with all sorts of confidence to work with.
Kickoff for the game between Alabama and LSU is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. PT/3:30 p.m. ET.
