LSU vs Alabama Series History: Heavyweights
By Jacob Mayer
The football rivalry between the University of Alabama and Louisiana State University has come a long way since its humble beginnings in 1895.
LSU defeated Alabama 12-6 that year in the first ever meeting between the two schools’ football programs.
Since then, the series has been heavily skewed toward the Crimson Tide.
Alabama’s record all-time against the Tigers is 48-25-5.
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The Tigers and Tide have faced off on the gridiron every year since 1964, and Saturday’s matchup in Death Valley will be the 52nd meeting between the two in 51 seasons.
Toward the beginning of those 51 seasons, there were some pretty lean times for the Tigers.
LSU managed only eight victories against Alabama in all of the 1960s, ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s.
Then a man by the name of Nick Saban arrived in Baton Rouge, and things got interesting.
Saban’s Tigers defeated Alabama on four out of five tries during his head coaching tenure at LSU from 2000 through 2004.
When Les Miles replaced Saban in 2005, he continued the Tigers’ winning ways against the Tide, starting with a top five overtime thriller in T-Town.
All in all, LSU ripped off five consecutive victories against Alabama from 2003 to 2007.
The winning streak remains the longest for LSU over Alabama.
When Saban accepted the head coaching job at Alabama, he quickly turned around an Alabama program that was heading in the wrong direction.
His first meeting against his former team and Les Miles was an instant classic.
LSU overcame multiple turnovers, sloppy defensive play and special teams blunders to win 41-34.
The Tigers went on to win the BCS Championship in 2007. While the Tide struggled to a 6-6 record that season, and they’ve been a perennial national championship contender ever since.
Now that Saban and Miles square off every year, the annual LSU vs. Alabama game has turned into an annual heavyweight bout.
In seven regular season matchups, Alabama has a slight 4-3 edge, and the average margin of victory in the seven games is right around seven points.
The one major anomaly was the 2012 BCS Championship Game, where LSU unexpectedly and inexplicably fell flat on their faces, losing to Alabama 21-0.
The game was a disappointing end to a monumental 2011 LSU season.
The 1st-ranked Tigers and 2nd-ranked Tide met in Tuscaloosa earlier that season, in what was billed the “Game of the Century.”
Top-notch defenses were on display all night long, as LSU escaped Bryant-Denny Stadium with a 9-6 overtime win.
The “Game of the Century” currently stands as LSU’s most recent win over Alabama, but the Tigers can play the role of playoff spoiler Saturday if they can end their losing streak to the Tide.