How crucial was LSU’s loss to Alabama in the 2012 BCS Championship Game for the momentum of the teams’ rivalry?

Very, according to ESPN’s David Ching, who pointed out how poorly the Tigers have played against the Tide compared to all other opponents since.

The Tigers have averaged just 250.4 yards against the Tide and 423.1 yards against all other teams since the BCS title game.

LSU has also averaged just 1.4 touchdowns per game, while recording 4.2 against everyone else. The Tigers’ rushing totals saw a huge decrease as well with a 91.6 average against Alabama compared to 225.0 against other teams.

In turn, Alabama has dominated the rivalry, winning all five of the matchups between the two teams beginning with the 21-0 victory in the BCS title game, which avenged a previous 9-6 overtime loss in Tiger Stadium during the regular season.

LSU looks to end its losing streak against Alabama Saturday night in Death Valley. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. EST.