LSU coach Lane Kiffin voiced disappointment Monday over the approaching interruption of his program's annual game against Alabama, a series played every year since 1964. The teams will meet Saturday with both ranked in the top 15, but they will not face each other in 2027.
The matchup between the longtime former SEC West opponents has often helped determine which teams contended for the national championship. Saturday's game could carry similar stakes. After that, the next meeting is scheduled for 2028, with the teams set to play at least once every two years thereafter.
The break follows the SEC's move to a nine-game conference schedule, under which LSU and Alabama were not selected as permanent opponents. Alabama's protected matchups are against Auburn, Mississippi State and Tennessee. LSU's annual opponents will be Texas A&M, Arkansas and Ole Miss.
Kiffin said he understood the decisions while regretting their effect on longstanding college football traditions. He linked changes to rivalries and conference membership to financial considerations, saying, "I think that's just sad." Although he acknowledged that some developments in the sport had been positive, he said he and others wished certain rivalries and conference arrangements had remained intact.
In constructing the schedule, the SEC sought to preserve as many historic rivalries as possible while weighing geography and competitive fairness. The LSU-Alabama series stretches back decades, but its recognition as a rivalry grew after Nick Saban became Alabama's coach, having previously led LSU to a national championship.
Alabama's older rivalry traditions include the Iron Bowl against Auburn and the Third Saturday in October against Tennessee. Geography also connects Alabama with permanent opponent Mississippi State: the schools are roughly 90 miles apart, making them the SEC's closest pair.
Kiffin, who worked under Saban as Alabama's offensive coordinator from 2014 through 2016, had also questioned the timing of Saturday's matchup during the previous week's SEC teleconference. He said he was surprised it would be played in the afternoon because he had assumed the game at LSU would take place at night, as he said it had throughout the preceding 16 years.
Kiffin described joking with someone that the kickoff change was intended to reduce LSU's advantage, citing the team's strong nighttime performances and intimidating atmosphere. His remarks also referenced recent friction between LSU and the SEC. The conference has taken the school, one of its founding members, to court over its signing of former professional athletes.
