If LSU and Bama aren’t permanent opponents, it is with 100% certainty…

As an outsider, the OP is not wrong watching LSU vs Alabama has always been a prime time SEC matchup. If your Alabama what team is your third rival?

There should be NO permanent rivalry games. Only fair way is fully rotating.

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We're not your rival. There's no historical significance tied to these games.

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I mean…. That’s not entirely true. LSU is Bama’s 3rd most played opponent behind only Miss State and Tennessee.

LSU has played Bama 16 more times than Florida who most consider to be a rival of LSU.

Considering the Bama-LSU game has been the #2 most watched matchup in the SEC from a viewership standpoint… and Top 3 in all of College Football for the past 15 years… makes this game significant. Using the term “rivalry” certainly seems fitting.

I do think ABC/ESPN will push for this game to be annual. If it’s not, I think what the OP is saying is probabably true… they got pushback from one or both sides about the SOS being too difficult compared to others.

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No it hasn't

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But Mississippi State has been? Is that what y'all are trying to go with?

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that Alabama cried to the commissioner about being required to carry Tennessee, Auburn, and LSU.

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With the seasonal rotation of six teams, who your three permanent teams are really doesn’t make that much of a difference as far as overall strength of schedule. You are going to play a tough schedule no matter what.

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As an outsider, the OP is not wrong watching LSU vs Alabama has always been a prime time SEC matchup.

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Have you been only watching football since Saban showed up at Alabama?

Few outside of the SEC cared much before then because it was just lopsided. OP had to go back to 25 years because that conveniently is the most favorable span he could find and it was still 15-11 in Alabama's favor the past 25 years.

If you actually started the year it got interesting (2007), the record is 14-5 with LSU's wins coming by a combined 19 points. Alabama has 5 wins of 19 or more points over that time frame.

Alabama is 57-27-5 against LSU all time, 8-2 over the last 10 and 13-7 over the last 20. There is only one decade, ever, when LSU had a winning record against Alabama. That was when Saban was at LSU and the Mikes were at Alabama.

If Alabama goes to Sankey it will be to lobby to keep LSU on the schedule.

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that Alabama cried to the commissioner about being required to carry Tennessee, Auburn, and LSU.

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As they should.

Who else in the conference would have 3 of the Big 6 as permanent rivals?

Easy for LSU fans to bitch about when they’ll almost certainly draw at least one permanent opponent who is a historical doormat.

They want Miss State because they have 243-4 record against them. Big rivalry! Don’t question it!