I've never been to this game, but I know that Arkansas fans never have this issue when the game is away...
You're really quite truculent in your analysis. Tell the truth, you really didn't even flinch, much less actually look at Alabama's schedule this past season. South Carolina, Mississippi, Tennessee, LSU, Mississippi State and the barn. That would be 6 straight SEC teams in a row and it would represent the middle to absolute last game of the year. Go ahead, admit it, Bama has become LSU's "natural rival."
This sucks. This game is the only game I ever get to see, whether if I drive to Baton Rouge or Little Rock from Oklahoma. Last year was a treat to actually go to a "Saturday Night in Death Valley", haven't been to one of those games since I was a kid. The atmosphere is totally different, electric. On the Friday, there's too many travelers, and there isn't NEAR enough time to get lit before the game. IMO
Awbunn & Bamasux back to Saturday. LSU and Ark-Kansas back to Friday. Friday is a better viewing day after Thanksgiving. Populace does not care about Awbunn. Note the lack of "love" for winning the BCS title.
More people watch college football at home than at the stadium. For those million+ Tiger fans that can't make it to any games...like me...Friday is better. Like other posters said, it's just RIGHT. And a bonus for the school is a guaranteed national stage with little competition. Exposure. It's a good thing.
Selfishly, I like the game to be on Friday. I also travel for Thanksgiving, but I travel TO Baton Rouge, and it makes my Sunday travel back to Dallas more pleasant if I haven't been to a game the night before. When the game is on Friday, I get a chance to chill out on Saturday (watching football, of course) without all the hassle of getting in late from a football game and getting on the road early Sunday for an 8-hour drive.
When you say "natural rival" I assume you mean Bama is our #1 rival. Not really, I say the big three Auburn, Florida and Bama and out of those I dislike Auburn the most and Florida second. But as far as the SEC West is concerned I suppose you could say we are natural rivals.
Think consensus among the fan base. Think of the emotional fervor involved and then think head football coaches. With each passing year the division rivals are becoming more pronounced, the level of disdain is rising. The past ten years, LSU has finally moved up the food chain with much more consistency. The final phase will be when Tiger fans start counting the seasons since their last SECCG as apposed to who they beat in the west. It's a growth process, but yes, Alabama vs LSU is now considered the number one rivalry in the SEC and is getting better known nationally each season.
We have no definitive rival. Depending on who you ask, it could be Bama, ArKansas, Auburn, or Ole Miss. I personally hate Bama the most. This hatred was born from years of Bama owning us in Death Valley, culminating with a 31-0 loss to them in...2000, I think? The next morning, we were having breakfast and a jar of Bama jelly was on the table. The second I noticed it, I seethed into a rage and slapped the jar right off the table. To this day, I don't buy Bama jelly. As far as "natural rivalries" are concerned, we really don't have one since Tulane fell out of relevance.
