re: How is LSU the bad guy in this?

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At the end of the day, LSU Athletic Director Joe Alleva crossed his arms, threw a tantrum like a child and refused to be amenable during negotiations with Florida and SEC commissioner Greg Sankey.

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So beginning on Monday they were in constant contact with Florida officials seeking the latest updates on the forecast and endeavoring to know Florida's own hurricane contingency plans. This constant contact set off alarm bells in Gainesville -- what was LSU's aim here? While Tiger officials could rightfully point to their past experience dealing with hurricanes and argue that they were just trying to be proactive about an uncertain weather condition, Gator officials began to wonder, in the hypercompetitive SEC, was this an attempt by LSU to steal a home game from Florida?

Communication, cooperation, and questioning of motives and decisions would continue for the rest of the week.

LSU, wanting to ensure that the game was played, also contacted the SEC office, ultimately presenting a bevy of options to play the game the weekend it was scheduled. With a new coach in Ed Orgeron, the Tigers were eager to go on the road and build momentum for the well-liked Orgeron's chances to retain the job. If Coach O. could keep the Tigers playing as well as they had against Missouri in his first game as interim coach, it was possible the LSU football team, highly ranked before disappointing and close losses to Wisconsin and Auburn, could get back on track. Even knowing they would be without their best player, running back Leonard Fournette, the Tigers wanted to play this game as it was scheduled.

But there were rapidly mounting complications aplenty.

When LSU's hotel rooms were gobbled up by storm evacuees, the Tigers embarked on a series of logistical plans to ensure they could still travel for the game. Ultimately LSU told the SEC they were prepared to fly into either Tallahassee or Tampa, since Gainesville's airport was closed on Friday, on the day of the Florida game and bus to Gainesville from either of those airports, which would be open because they were outside the storm's reach. After the game LSU would fly back out, ensuring that the team took up no hotel rooms in the state of Florida.

Not only were the Tigers willing to play on the scheduled Saturday, they also told the SEC office they would also be willing to play on Sunday and Monday in Gainesville.

As LSU officials scrambled to make travel plans for the football team's air travel, the same planning was also being done for the LSU football equipment, which travels via a semi-truck. The Tigers reserved hotel rooms in South Alabama to allow their travel crew to avoid any peril from the storm. Student managers packed the big rig and were told to be ready to leave on extremely short notice to ensure that the football pads and equipment arrived on time.

What's more, LSU was so eager to play the game that they also presented the SEC office with an additional option, they could host the game in Baton Rouge, as they'd done last year with South Carolina after severe flooding in Columbia, and play the game on Saturday, Sunday or Monday in Louisiana. LSU officials were so diligent in their preparation that they had hotel rooms reserved for Florida in either Baton Rouge or New Orleans. As a final option designed to ensure as much equality as possible, LSU let it be known that they would play the game with no fans present.

LSU's message to the SEC league office was clear -- we want to play the game this weekend and we'll do whatever we need to do to make that happen. The SEC league office conveyed this same message to the Florida Gators.

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