When the SEC announced kickoff times for its November 7 games, there was some shock when Alabama vs. LSU was listed as a mid-afternoon game instead of a night game. Count Lane Kiffin among those surprised by this news.
“I never thought it wouldn’t be nighttime,” Kiffin said when asked about kickoff time during Wednesday’s conference call.
For the past six seasons, the rivalry game between Alabama and LSU has been played at night. The last time they didn’t play a night in Baton Rouge was 2010.
“I didn’t even think about the time,” Kiffin said. “I just assumed that, especially for the last 16 years, this game was always in the evening. I guess that’s probably naive of me.”
The final stab was Ole Miss, Kiffin’s former employer, getting the prime-time slot for its home game against Georgia. Following legal battles between Kiffin and LSU on one side and the SEC on the other, the LSU coach said it wouldn’t shock him if the league office tried to punish him.
“I was joking with (LSU SID Michael Bonnette) earlier that the SEC obviously wanted to change things to give LSU less of an advantage because of the way LSU plays at night and how intimidating it is to play here,” Kiffin said. “I thought, ‘If anyone thinks the SEC wants us to win this year after what happened, they must have been on Mars for four months.’
“I guess when I look at it that way, I’m not surprised.”
While it’s a bit surprising that a likely top-15 game featuring two of the SEC’s biggest brands wouldn’t be played at night, it’s not the first time it’s happened. Just look at the last time Alabama and LSU kicked off at 3:30 p.m. ET.
It was 2019. Joe Burrow led No. 2 LSU at Bryant-Denny Stadium against Tua Tagovailoa and No. 3 Alabama. It was one of the most anticipated games of the 21st century, but it wasn’t played in the primetime spotlight.
LSU’s nightmares against Alabama
Tiger Stadium is often ranked among the best atmospheres in college football, but that’s especially true at night. Death Valley becomes a black hole for the hopes and dreams of opponents.
That is, except for Alabama.
The Tigers have played the Crimson Tide in Baton Rouge every other year since 2012, and the results have been poor. LSU is 1-6 in its last seven home games against Alabama, and many of those results have been lopsided.
2012 | 21-17, Alabama |
2014 | 20-13, Alabama |
2016 | 10-0, Alabama |
2018 | 29-0, Alabama |
2020 | 55-17, Alabama |
2022 | 32-31, LSU |
2024 | 42-13, Alabama |
So, night games at Tiger Stadium guarantee nothing for LSU when it comes to matchups against Alabama. I understand that this year’s team is more talented than most – if not all – of the teams listed in the table above, but Death Valley will still offer an edge with a breathtaking late afternoon atmosphere.
Regardless of what time this game is played, the pressure will be on Kiffin to pull out a win, which could be the source of his frustration. LSU will have at least two losses on its resume, and losing to the Tide would make the team’s College Football Playoff path extremely narrow.
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