LSU wanders the rivalry wasteland.
The Tigers don’t have THAT game on their schedule.
One game that’s always circled when the schedule is released. Or a game where the schedule release doesn’t matter because you already know when that game is going to be played.
LSU doesn’t have ONE rival. LSU has a handful of rivalry games, but LSU isn’t the main event on any opposing schedule.
The LSU – Ole Miss rivalry is real, but the Rebels’ Egg Bowl date with Mississippi State is far more important.
The LSU – Alabama game always has juice, but that rivalry is driven by stakes rather than tradition. LSU will never mean as much as Auburn or Tennessee does to the Tide.
LSU plays Arkansas for the Golden Boot every year, but how many fans, players, and coaches in the LSU program prize that trophy? There’s no real hate there.
You have the Florida and Auburn games, but the LSU – Auburn game didn’t even matter enough to keep it on the schedule this year.
Every year when rivalry weekend comes around, most teams prepare to face their most hated opponent. For LSU, it’s just another game.
LSU spent about a decade facing Arkansas on rivalry weekend before the next 10 or so years playing Texas A&M.
This year, with Texas joining the SEC, the Aggies are once again occupied. That leaves LSU playing Oklahoma.
It’s a helmet matchup with two historic programs, but it’s not a rivalry. LSU and OU could play on this weekend every year and it would never live up to Oklahoma’s Red River Rivalry with Texas.
LSU playing Oklahoma this weekend was predictable. With every other team playing a traditional rival, the Tigers and Sooners are the odd ones out.
The SEC can try to force a rivalry between LSU and Oklahoma, but it’ll come up empty. LSU has one choice if it wants to establish any rivalry weekend tradition. Bring back Tulane.
The Tigers and Green Wave last met in 2009, but haven’t played on rivalry weekend since 1996. LSU dominated the series, going 70-22-6. In that sense, it’s not much of a rivalry.
But with Tulane’s recent emergence, there’s a chance to start this up again.
After Tulane left the SEC in the 60’s, LSU became the only Power Four team in the state. It’s remained that way ever since. Tulane remains in the AAC, but as conference realignment continues, there’s a chance they make a jump to a power conference — whether it’s the ACC or Big 12.
That would give LSU another power conference foe in the state to play every year.
LSU put an official end to the series in 2009 when it paid Tulane to void the final six years of the contract. LSU felt like it was giving up a home game by traveling to Tulane every other year.
For that reason, I don’t see LSU signing up to bring this one back anytime soon. But there’s a way to make it work.
This article originally appeared on LSU Wire: Should LSU bring back the annual rivalry with Tulane?
