LSU and Alabama. Just saying those two names together in a crowded bar in Birmingham or a tailgate in Baton Rouge is enough to start a three-hour debate that probably ends in someone bringing up a missed field goal from 2011. It’s not just a game. Honestly, it’s more like a seismic event that reshapes the college football landscape every November.
But things are shifting. If you’ve been paying attention to the news coming out of the SEC offices lately, the "First Saturday in November" tradition we’ve all built our fall schedules around is officially on life support.
The Day the Rivalry Stood Still (Again)
You’ve probably heard the stats a million times, but they bear repeating because they’re just so absurd. Since the turn of the century, these two programs have basically treated the SEC Championship and the Crystal Ball like their own personal property. We’re talking about a rivalry so loaded with NFL talent that the 2011 "Game of the Century" eventually saw 45 players drafted into the league.
Forty. Five.
Think about that for a second. You weren’t watching a college game; you were watching a Sunday afternoon matchup played on a Saturday night. And yet, the score was 9-6. No touchdowns. Just pure, unadulterated defensive violence.
What Just Happened in 2025?
Most recently, we saw Alabama slip past LSU with a 20-9 victory in Tuscaloosa on November 8, 2025. It wasn't the offensive fireworks show people expected from a Garrett Nussmeier-led LSU team. Instead, Kalen DeBoer’s defense absolutely suffocated the Tigers.
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Alabama's defense held LSU to just 2.3 yards per rush. That's not a typo. Fifty-nine yards on 26 attempts is what happens when a defensive line decides they aren't moving an inch.
Actually, the most shocking part of that game wasn't the score. It was seeing Nussmeier—a guy who was once a preseason Heisman favorite—get benched for Michael Van Buren Jr. in the third quarter. It felt like the end of an era, especially with Frank Wilson stepping in as interim coach after the university moved on from Brian Kelly. It was messy. It was loud. It was exactly what LSU vs Alabama football always is: a high-stakes car crash that you can't look away from.
The SEC Schedule Shakeup Nobody Asked For
Here is the part that’s actually going to sting for a while. The SEC is moving to a nine-game conference schedule in 2026, and in their infinite wisdom, they didn't list Alabama as one of LSU's three "permanent" annual rivals.
LSU gets Ole Miss, Texas A&M, and Arkansas.
Alabama gets Auburn, Tennessee, and Mississippi State.
Basically, the "Saban Bowl" (which we probably need a new name for now, right?) is no longer a guaranteed annual date on the calendar. We’ll still see them play in 2026 at Tiger Stadium and in 2028 in Tuscaloosa, but 2027 and 2029 are currently blank.
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It feels wrong. Kinda like putting sugar in cornbread or saying "Roll Tide" in the middle of a New Orleans parade. You just don't do it.
Why This Matchup Still Matters More Than the Rest
Even with the schedule changes, LSU vs Alabama football remains the gold standard for intensity. Why? Because for the last 20 years, the winner of this game has essentially had a fast pass to the College Football Playoff.
- The Saban Factor: We can’t talk about this rivalry without mentioning the man who built both modern versions of these programs. Nick Saban won a natty at LSU in 2003, then went to Tuscaloosa and built the greatest dynasty in the history of the sport. The bitterness from the LSU side wasn't just about him leaving; it was about him staying and winning everything with the enemy.
- The Home Field Curse: Weirdly enough, the home team usually struggles in this series. Alabama is 30-10-2 all-time in Baton Rouge. Throughout the entire history of the series, only about 42% of the games have been won by the team playing in their own home state.
- The Pro Pipeline: Look at the 2019 game. Joe Burrow vs. Tua Tagovailoa. It was a 46-41 shootout that changed how we think about SEC football. It moved us away from the 9-6 slogs and into the era of explosive, air-it-out offenses.
The 2024 Disaster in Death Valley
If you’re an LSU fan, you probably want to block out the 2024 meeting. Jalen Milroe didn't just play well; he treated the Tiger Stadium turf like his own personal track. He ran for 185 yards and four touchdowns in a 42-13 blowout.
It was the most lopsided win for Bama in Baton Rouge in decades. It was the game that arguably started the clock on the Brian Kelly era. When you lose that badly at home to the Crimson Tide, the boosters don't just get quiet—they get busy.
Looking Ahead to 2026 and Beyond
The next time these two meet will be November 7, 2026, back in Baton Rouge. It’s going to be a "reunion" of sorts, and you can bet the atmosphere will be even more desperate than usual because of the gap in the schedule.
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LSU is currently in a massive transition phase. With the coaching carousel spinning and the transfer portal looking more like a free-agent market every day, the Tigers are trying to reclaim their spot as the "Bama Slayer." Meanwhile, Kalen DeBoer has proven he can keep the machine running in Tuscaloosa, even if it looks a little different than it did under Saban.
Actionable Insights for Fans
If you're planning on following this rivalry into the new era of the 16-team (and eventually maybe more) SEC, keep these things in mind:
- Monitor the 2026 Ticket Market Early: Since the game isn't happening every year anymore, the 2026 matchup in Baton Rouge is going to be the toughest ticket in the country. Prices will likely triple the week of the game.
- Watch the Defensive Coordinator Hires: As we saw in the 2025 game, LSU's defense is finally starting to look like the "DBU" of old under Blake Baker, but their offense is the current bottleneck. Alabama's ability to maintain a top-5 defense post-Saban is the only reason they stayed in the playoff hunt this past year.
- Check the SEC Championship Tiebreakers: With no more divisions, LSU and Alabama don't have to beat each other to get to Atlanta. They just need to have one of the two best conference records. This means we could actually see them play twice in one year—once in the regular season and once for the SEC title.
The rivalry isn't dead, but it is evolving. It’s moving from a guaranteed tradition to a "premium event" that we have to savor whenever the SEC office decides to let us have it. Whether it's a 9-6 defensive grind or a 46-41 track meet, LSU vs Alabama remains the heartbeat of Southern football.
If you want to stay ahead of the curve, keep an eye on the 2026 recruiting rankings for both schools. That's where the next "Game of the Century" is currently being built.