Alabama–LSU football rivalry

LSU–Alabama football rivalry
Teams	Alabama Crimson Tide LSU Tigers
Originated	1895
Series	Alabama leads 46–25–5
Largest margin of victory	LSU 47, Alabama 3 November 10, 1922
Highest scoring game	LSU 41, Alabama 34 November 3, 2007
Most recent game	Alabama 21, LSU 0 January 9th 2012
Longest winning streak	Alabama 11
Current winning streak	Alabama 1

The Alabama–LSU football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the Alabama Crimson Tide football team of the University of Alabama and the LSU Tigers football team of Louisiana State University. Both universities have been members of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) since its founding in December 1932, and both universities' sports teams have competed in the SEC's Western Division since the conference was split into two divisions in 1992.

The two rivals met in the 2012 BCS National Championship Game, the first time in history where two conference foes met in a Bowl Championship Series game. Alabama won the meeting 21-0, with Nick Saban becoming the first coach to win three national championships in the BCS era.

Series history

Starting in 1895, the Tigers were victorious 12–6 in the first meeting in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The rivalry has been played in Baton Rouge; New Orleans, Louisiana; Birmingham, Alabama; Montgomery, Alabama; Tuscaloosa, Alabama; and Mobile, Alabama. The teams began playing each other on an annual basis in 1964, with Alabama playing its home games at Legion Field in Birmingham, and LSU playing its home games on campus at Tiger Stadium. The series has been marked by long stretches where the home team has struggled: between 1971 and 1999 LSU was winless in Baton Rouge, going 0–14–1, while Alabama has won just four of fifteen games played in the state of Alabama since 1982. In 1988 Alabama began playing its home game in the series on their Tuscaloosa campus at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Alabama's 21-0 win in the 2012 BCS National Championship game marked the first time since 1986 that the teams played in a location other than Baton Rouge or Tuscaloosa. Overall, intensity has grown in the series during the last three decades with the two teams virtually splitting the series, with LSU narrowly leading 15–14–1.

In 2007, the meeting was even more heated following Alabama's hiring of head coach Nick Saban—who previously coached at LSU. With the hiring, many media outlets dubbed the 2007 meeting as the "Saban Bowl." The series is 4–2 in favor of LSU the six games played so far during the Saban era.

In their 2011 regular season matchup, No. 1 LSU defeated No. 2 Alabama 9–6 in overtime at Bryant–Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, on November 5. Later, during the 2011 post season, the two were selected by the Bowl Championship Series to play each other again for the 2012 BCS National Championship Game, which Alabama won 21-0. The LSU-Alabama rematch was the first BCS Championship Game to feature two teams from the same conference (as well as the same division), and was also the first shutout of any BCS bowl game in the BCS's 14-year history.

Game results

Alabama victories are colored ██ crimson. LSU victories are colored ██ purple. Ties are white.

Date	Location	Winner	Score
November 18, 1895	Baton Rouge, LA	LSU	12–6
November 29, 1902	Tuscaloosa, AL	LSU	11–0
November 9, 1903	Tuscaloosa, AL	Alabama	18–0
December 2, 1904	Baton Rouge, LA	Alabama	11–0
November 2, 1907	Mobile, AL	Alabama	6–4
November 25, 1909	Birmingham, AL	LSU	12–6
November 15, 1919	Baton Rouge, LA	Alabama	23–7
November 11, 1920	Tuscaloosa, AL	Alabama	21–0
October 29, 1921	New Orleans, LA	Tie	7–7
November 10, 1922	Tuscaloosa, AL	Alabama	47–3
November 16, 1923	Montgomery, AL	Alabama	30–3
October 10, 1925	Baton Rouge, LA	Alabama	42–0
October 30, 1926	Tuscaloosa, AL	Alabama	24–0
October 8, 1927	Birmingham, AL	Tie	0–0
December 8, 1928	Birmingham, AL	Alabama	31–0
November 15, 1930	Montgomery, AL	Alabama	33–0
September 30, 1944	Baton Rouge, LA	Tie	27–27
October 6, 1945	Baton Rouge, LA	Alabama	26–7
November 9, 1946	Baton Rouge, LA	LSU	31–21
November 22, 1947	Tuscaloosa, AL	Alabama	41–12
November 20, 1948	Baton Rouge, LA	LSU	26–6
September 29, 1951	Tuscaloosa, AL	LSU	13–7
September 27, 1952	Baton Rouge, LA	Alabama	21–20
September 26, 1953	Mobile, AL	Tie	7–7
September 25, 1954	Baton Rouge, LA	Alabama	12–0
September 28, 1957	Baton Rouge, LA	LSU	28–0

Date	Location	Winner	Score
September 27, 1958	Mobile, AL	LSU	13–3
November 7, 1964	Birmingham, AL	Alabama	17–9
November 6, 1965	Baton Rouge, LA	Alabama	31–7
November 5, 1966	Birmingham, AL	Alabama	21–0
November 11, 1967	Baton Rouge, LA	Alabama	7–6
November 9, 1968	Birmingham, AL	Alabama	16–7
November 8, 1969	Baton Rouge, LA	LSU	20–15
November 7, 1970	Birmingham, AL	LSU	14–9
November 6, 1971	Baton Rouge, LA	Alabama	14–7
November 11, 1972	Birmingham, AL	Alabama	35–21
November 22, 1973	Baton Rouge, LA	Alabama	21–7
November 9, 1974	Birmingham, AL	Alabama	30–0
November 9, 1975	Baton Rouge, LA	Alabama	23–10
November 6, 1976	Birmingham, AL	Alabama	28–17
November 5, 1977	Baton Rouge, LA	Alabama	24–3
November 11, 1978	Birmingham, AL	Alabama	31–10
November 10, 1979	Baton Rouge, LA	Alabama	3–0
November 8, 1980	Tuscaloosa, AL	Alabama	28–7
September 5, 1981	Baton Rouge, LA	Alabama	24–7
November 6, 1982	Birmingham, AL	LSU	20–10
November 5, 1983	Baton Rouge, LA	Alabama	32–26
November 10, 1984	Birmingham, AL	LSU	16–14
November 9, 1985	Baton Rouge, LA	Tie	14–14
November 8, 1986	Birmingham, AL	LSU	14–10
November 7, 1987	Baton Rouge, LA	Alabama	22–10
November 5, 1988	Tuscaloosa, AL	LSU	19–18

Date	Location	Winner	Score
November 11, 1989	Baton Rouge, LA	Alabama	32–16
November 10, 1990	Tuscaloosa, AL	Alabama	24–3
November 9, 1991	Baton Rouge, LA	Alabama	20–17
November 7, 1992	Baton Rouge, LA	Alabama	31–11
November 6, 1993	Tuscaloosa, AL	LSU	17–13
November 5, 1994	Baton Rouge, LA	Alabama	35–17
November 4, 1995	Tuscaloosa, AL	Alabama	10–3
November 9, 1996	Baton Rouge, LA	Alabama	26–0
November 8, 1997	Tuscaloosa, AL	LSU	27–0
November 7, 1998	Baton Rouge, LA	Alabama	22–16
November 6, 1999	Tuscaloosa, AL	Alabama	23–17
November 4, 2000	Baton Rouge, LA	LSU	30–28
November 3, 2001	Tuscaloosa, AL	LSU	30–14
November 16, 2002	Baton Rouge, LA	Alabama	31–0
November 15, 2003	Tuscaloosa, AL	LSU	27–3
November 13, 2004	Baton Rouge, LA	LSU	26–10
November 12, 2005	Tuscaloosa, AL	LSU	16–13OT
November 11, 2006	Baton Rouge, LA	LSU	28–14
November 3, 2007	Tuscaloosa, AL	LSU	41–34
November 8, 2008	Baton Rouge, LA	Alabama	27–21OT
November 7, 2009	Tuscaloosa, AL	Alabama	24–15
November 6, 2010	Baton Rouge, LA	LSU	24–21
November 5, 2011	Tuscaloosa, AL	LSU	9–6OT
January 9, 2012	New Orleans, LA	Alabama	21-0
November 3, 2012	Baton Rouge, LA	TBD	TBD

Series record sources: 2011 Alabama Football Media Guide, 2011 LSU Football Media Guide, and College Football Data Warehouse.

See also

• 2011 LSU vs. Alabama football game
• 2012 BCS National Championship Game