To me a "rivalry" isn't dictated by if the series has recntly been "even" over "X" amount of years. I hate to use the phrase but "You can throw the record books out the window" when it comes to true rivalries. The series between Bama/Auburn has had it's cycles but the intensity and how the rivalry is viewed has never changed nor diminished and never will. They've waxed our draws for five years in row but trust me they still consider the Iron Bowl their rivalry. As does Bama.
We don't want to be your rival. We just want to win the game against you by a point and go on to our next game. As you said, you've got the Barn and the Viles . . . you don't need a Bama/LSU rivalry too.
And I can safely say the majority of Bama fans feel this same way. It is tough to have two or more rivals and truely call them "rivals". Auburn is our one and only rival. The Tennessee is a hatred and that's it. When double D is gone that game's inensity will be gone as fast as a krispy kreme in double D's hand.
It will lose steam no doubt, but from my viewpoint I look back a few years and remember as a youngster coming home from the game with Tennesse we stopped at a gas station because young bladders are small and they denied us service of any kind told us to take it out back in the bushes and find gas elsewhere. So I'll keep my hatred a tad longer lol.
I graduated LSU in 1976, so maybe I'm one of the "older" guys. Anyway, through the years LSU has had many rivalries: Ole Miss - late 50's & 60's and some recently Auburn - every since we started paying then annually 1988, I believe Tulane - Man, I hate Tulane - 62-0 is not enough. USC - Never played them much, but the '79 loss and the '84 win are classics Notre Dame - Great rivalry Tennessee - We never play our best against those guys. We won a few, but barely. Florida - Spurrier years & getting beat this year. But....Alabama has owned us historically. Sure we have won 7 of the last 10 (I looked it up ). But we went years without a win. Even way before the bear, we were routinely beaten. With the Alabama coaching situation, I look forward more than ever to beating Alabama. 20 in a row would not be enough (but close).
Well he also used the F-bomb along with a ethnic slur about Louisiana. Did you forget? Then he's been telling recruits that LSU coaching staff isn't very good, which is negative recruiting. Then he tempted a LSU committed recruit into taking a "secret" visit to Tuscaloosa, causing him to lose his offer from LSU. The gloves are off and Saban took them off.
I get banned all the time on Tidefans. I now know what it must be like living in China where they watch everything you do.
:rofl: I've almost been "sent home with my ball" many of times on Tidefans and I'm a Bama fan, and there are many Bama fans that have been banned and suspended. It's still over all a dang good site. No board is perfect and has it's pro's and con's. I do hope you come back though. Just don't piss Bayou off or he'll tap dance on your face with his Sunday shoes. He takes no prisoners.
Ole Miss and Tulane were LSU's big rivals in the 30's - 50's. Both programs have withered from their prime, and Tulane was uncompetitive and we dropped them from the schedule. You can't be a rival with someone you don't play anymore. Ole Miss has a scent of the old rivalry left, it is not like playing Kentucky, with whom we are very neutral, they are just a team that shows up sometimes on our schedule. We have no history with Kentucky. My eyes perk up for Ole Miss week, but we expect to win, but realize an upset is possible because the game would make their season, but not make ours. They have a lot more to play for than the way we view the game as fans. So our traditional rivals are not the big games they used to be. So, among current teams, we 'get up' for the team that is most likely to prevent us from winning the west each year. We may dislike a team from the east, but we don't always play them. For us, the game that has decided the SEC west the last 6 years has been Auburn - LSU. I understand Auburn does not consider us a 'traditional rival', but it is a game they know where they'll be when its played, and it means a lot to both fan bases. We realize the Iron Bowl is the biggest rivalry game for Bama and Auburn, and that's as it should be with in state rivals. But the LSU game is an 'important' game to both schools. We can't help it if our traditional rivalries have withered. (Credit to Red for the basic idea expressed!).
