The Not-Bama Bowl

Auburn. LSU.

It’s a sibling rivalry of sorts. Tigers of different stripes. We begrudgingly acknowledge who the past and present king of the jungle is but fight each other we must because it’s a necessary rung on the ladder as we claw our way back to the top of the mountain.

Auburn and LSU are without question the best not-Bama teams in the West and have been for decades. Since ’92, the two schools have been to Atlanta 5 times each and combined for 7 conference titles and 3 national titles. The game has often factored very highly in who goes to Atlanta. In 2001, it was a de facto play-in game due to the postponement of the game after the 9/11 attacks. The loser of the game has made it to Atlanta just once – Auburn in 2013. That exception aside, losing this game almost always means championship dreams postponed to another season.

Since expansion in ’92, LSU holds a 12-11 edge in the series. No school has won more than 3 in a row in that time. The series is tight. Every year starting in 2002 at least one of the teams was ranked in the top 10 as of kickoff. This year will break that streak due to Auburn’s huge fall in the polls after escaping last week against Jacksonville State. But incoming rankings matter very little in this game. This game is a far better barometer than any preseason expectations.

Many of the games have names. Fire, cigars, earthquakes, crazy finishes. Kickers who suddenly couldn’t hit the side of a burning barn. The night the magic came back. The day Jamie Howard was a pick six machine.

In closing, damn you CBS for making this a day game. Nighttime is when the magic happens. But I get why you did. This game matters and this game usually entertains until the end. Usually. This year it will still matter but only the LSU fans will be entertained.

Corndogs 31
Not-Bama 7

Like gladiators of old...