http://espn.go.com/blog/sec/post/_/id/54597/alabama-lsu-now-has-national-rivalry-status When people talk about college football's best rivalries, no one forgets Ohio State-Michigan, Alabama-Auburn or Army-Navy. You also have Florida-Florida State, Oklahoma-Texas and Miami-Florida State. But it’s clear we now have Alabama-LSU, and while it doesn't have the tradition of some of the other national rivalries, recent history has it soaking up all the national spotlight. And with the way these two giants have been able to recruit, it isn’t going away anytime soon. Like most traditional rivalries, trophies are at stake when these two play. Everyone with any ounce of college football fandom will tune into this game. So much talent will be on the field, and just like last year, the winner will be a front-runner on the path to the BCS title.
I'm not so certain the winner if its LSU will have a place in the national championship. If Oregon, Kansas State, and the gold domers win out, hello sugar bowl if LSU also wins out. Alabama if they win, which they won't, will play for the marbles, but like I said, they won't.
Personally I think the LSU-Bama game has taken over the game of best "rivalry" game from ohio state-michigan!
LaSalle, I gotta give it to you on your optimism about this game. I feel the same way. Not a lot of it out there, genuine, unfortunately. I remember the Florida game back in 97 where no one gave LSU a chance of winning in the media...lot of the fans felt the same way. Honestly, so did...I almost did not go in the stadium because I thought we were going to get blowed out and embarrassed. You just got to believe and have the Tiger faith sometimes.
I was at I was at that game in 97......I loved it, my favorite part of the game was about middle of the 4th quarter when Doug Johnson had just got sacked(after being hit all game long) got up and walked back to the huddle put his hands on his knees and was trembling form being pounded on so much.....then enterd young Mr. Jessie Palmer....the current analyst for espn.....then he recieved the same beaten doug johnson was getting!! That was the days of the chinese bandits baby!!
What a great game, I remember it was my first few months living in Dallas Fort Worth, I knew no one, my neighbor had this smoking hot daughter, that I was talking to. They were Florida fans, that whole game I was beating on the walls, screaming it sucks...to be.... A Florida gator.... She never spoke to me again after that night for some reason. My favorite moment of that game was a Herb Tyler scramble to the right pylon for a touchdown. A guy I went to high school was on that 97 team also, greatest athlete I ever knew, Kenny Mixon, he played DE at LSU, and won state in high school in get this, hurdles. Wow.
Kenny mixon was a badass who even ran hurdles. Edit: nm lasalle pointed that out better than I did. Didn't know he won state. He also choked out out his wife or g/f but she probably deserved it.
97' Gator game was the loudest and greatest game I've ever attended. Absolute pandemonium and joy. It's great having LSU at the top of the college football world but games like that can only come when you aren't expected to win. And even though Bama is picked to win tomorrow, LSU fans still expect the Tigers to win so it' s more of a relief than what was experienced in 97.
That game was also during my first miserable months in DFW. My freakin principal had even called us in to work on a Saturday that morning--I was in hell. And I expected a beating that night. I ended up at a sports bar to watch it. All of the Penn State fans in the place stayed to watch because they became #1 when we beat Florida.
Yeah but Saban wasn't their coach. On a more serious note, I don't think we get embarrassed. I'd like to know HOW many of our fans I've heard say we're going to get beat. If I'm a player, THAT gives me a chip on my shoulder- NOT last year's game.
