Who is LSU football‘s main archenemy throughout its storied history?
ESPN tackled that question for the Tigers and every other power conference program on Friday, and it’s hard to argue against the Worldwide Leader in Sports’ answer. According to ESPN, the Tigers’ top all-time archenemy is none other than former Tigers head coach Nick Saban.
Saban led the Tigers for 5 seasons from 2000-2004 and won a pair of SEC titles and a national championship in Baton Rouge in 2003. He then left LSU to pursue an NFL career, but soon found himself back in college football with the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Most college football fans know what happened next. Saban built a dynasty at Alabama and won 6 more national titles, including the 2011 championship over his former team, LSU. He’s considered by many to be the greatest college football head coach of all time, and LSU is effectively a footnote in his legacy.
Interestingly, Saban ribbed new LSU head coach Lane Kiffin during SEC Media Days, mentioning LSU’s matchup in Oxford against Kiffin’s former team as a comparison for his return trips to Baton Rouge after taking the Alabama job.
“You’re going to break the record for the ass-kicking you get for the place you go back,” Saban told Kiffin. “Because I have it right now when I went back to LSU after leaving and going to Alabama. I’ll give you some coaching points on how to get through that.”
Obviously, Saban is no longer coaching at Alabama and has retired from college football coaching. The Tigers do face off against the Crimson Tide this season, however, in a matchup that’s set for November 7 at Tiger Stadium.
Ethan Stone is a Saturday Down South News Editor and an advocate for the return of the Seattle Supersonics.
