The Tigers, sitting at 3-0, find themselves on the cusp of national respect and a ton of momentum as the Georgia Bulldogs come to town. Sound familiar? It should. 1998 was the same situation. The Tigers lost that game 28-27 and thus the begining of the end of Dinardo era. Now once again the Tigers find themselves back where they were. A win Saturday in front of 92,000 people...a National TV audience on CBS...and with ESPN GameDay likley in the shadows of Tiger Stadium, LSU has a chance to gain a lot of national respect and attention...... and set itself up for a big season. After Mississippi State went down to Tulane last night, a win here would likley propel the Tiger to a 5-0 record going into the bye week, and with a few timley upsets around the nation, the Tigers could find themselves in the top 5 when the Florida Gators come to town in october. This game is bigger than this season though, this a program defining game, the biggest of the Saban era to date. It is gut check time for this football team, we have to go out and show the nation what we have known for awhile, that this is a program to be dealt with. We are so close to truly being one of the big boys in College Football I can taste it, this is our chance to really take a big step towards capturing another SEC title. Whatever happens Saturday...we HAVE to win!!!
Great post, however I slightly disagree. Here is why.. If we lose, sure it will be a bummer, but the west sets up very nicely for us still.. 1. Auburn - they stink they are 1-2 with their only win against Vandy. They believe they are back, sort of sad, the team that beat them last Ga Tech (Who they claim is the best team on the east coast) is also 1-2 with a lost to BYU 2. Alabama - As good as UGA but cant play in Atlanta 3. Miss, Ole Miss - Well they are not very good. 4. Arkansas - This my friend will be the defining game. This is the battle for the west... Auburn is a non factor now, Arizona got more votes in the AP poll then they did... I think the biggest game to date for Saban was the SEC Title game. That propelled out program to the next level... People expect us to compete every year now.. So I agree with your post, this is a huge game, but if LSU stumbles by no means the end of the season. Just MHO..
We lose we fall back to the middle of the pack not only in the SEC but in the nation. Arkansas becomes the favorite and we have to play catch up the rest of the year. I wouldnt say the season is over if we lose, but this is a massive game both nationaly and in the SEC for us. I thought about the SEC title game, and I would say that game is very very close, but once again...if we win this game, we have an excelent chance at being 5-0 and ranked in the top 5 when we play Florida. That SEC title was great, but since it was only one it will wear off soon in terms of our national credibility, we need another huge win.
This game will be a very good win for LSU. But not a program defining game. When we win it will make us a solid top ten team. I am not sure there is a program defining game. The program defines itself over time.
The difference between now and 1998 is that i think we knew something wasnt right with the program leading up to that game (Lou Tepper, the San Jose' St game etc...). We have a better and deeper team now with a much better coaching staff, I dont think 4-8 is in the cards for us even if we loose this weekend. Ga is also much better than they were then. There was a buzz about them at the time (mostly about Quincy Carter and Champ Bailey) but they hadnt won alot yet. Their team this time around has been proving that they can win for over a year now. I think this game and the Florida game will be the toughest two this year.
One last thought. LSU was (I believe) was 4-3 in 2001 then proceeded to dominate and win the SEC and Sugar bowl... If LSU loses (Which we wont) but just if. The "experts" will write us off. But the game is played on the field not in the Papers.
Hey Texastigers, when did Travis Daniels say that quote? I just noticed it as your sig. That quote is awesome and definitely shows the type of character that he and the rest of this LSU team has taken on.
Last week in an article in the Morning Advocate... It was a great article about Daniels waiting his turn to play and what it means to him to be an LSU tiger.. Really great article... http://2theadvocate.com/ns-search/s...h-set=/3f64a/aaaa0642464a2fd&NS-doc-offset=2&
We MUST win the home games. LSU has most of its top opponents at home this year. We must take advantage. Day games be damned! I'll go ahead and jinx us right now. The schedule is right, the talent is here, the coach is smart, and there are no dominating opponents (Darth Visor is gone). All we need is some luck and LSU is overdue for some luck. This could be "The Year" if we get it.
Georgia won't make or break our season, and if we lose that game, it might knock us off our national championship dreaming perch, but to say that it's a program defining game is bunk. Nick Saban and the player's he recruits define our program. Games don't. It's of monumental importance, and I basically think it's a game between the two best teams in the conference, but one game does not a program make. If this were 1995, and we had gone through what we had gone through for so long, and we were facing Auburn, and it were after that murderous ending that could have literally extinguished our competitive fire from a program standpoint, then yes, perhaps THAT situation could be a program defining game. But, whether LSU goes on to a 8-4 season from here on out, or whether we win every game on our schedule, I have PRIDE in this team, and I have FAITH in its future, and I have RESPECT for the coaches and the players who have instilled all of these things. That's what defines a program, at least to me.
