And The Valley Shook

Will LSU beat Texas A&M on Saturday?

What do you think will be the final score of the game?

LSU and Ole Miss score prediction 

The moment Lane Kiffin made the decision to leave Oxford to become the head coach of the LSU Tigers, the week 3 matchup between Ole Miss and LSU immediately became the game of the season for both teams, if not the entire college football world.As he made yet another highly public and sensationalized exit, a small regiment of Rebel fans pursued him on his way to the airport, and rained down boos and jeers as he stepped off of the tarmac onto his new team plane.Given that the matchup has now become a marquee matchup of two top 10 teams with ESPN's College Gameday on hand to broadcast the spectacle, it is safe to say the crowd that will welcome Kiffin back to Vaught-Hemingway stadium will be much larger, and even more hostile.TRYING TO MAKE IT HOMEIf any fanbase can relate to the emotion of seeing their former coach return to stalk the opposing sideline, it is the prideful and faithful Tiger Nation. Two years after leaving Baton Rouge to pursue his dream of being a head coach in the NFL, Nick Saban landed on the tarmac in Tuscaloosa as the new head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide. While that no doubt left many LSU fans feeling jilted and even bitter, the Tigers had continued to thrive in Saban's absence under his successor, Coach Les Miles. Two straight top 5 finishes and a returning roster that would be ranked #2 in the preseason of Saban's first year back in the SEC gave Tiger Nation the benefit of knowing that LSU was in good hands, despite the return of their former coach to their division rival.In the first November reunion, LSU and Alabama sat atop the division standings, with the winner on track to represent the West in Atlanta for the SEC Championship, and perhaps much more. Overcoming a 10 point 4th quarter deficit, the Tigers went on the road and came out with a signature on their way to SEC and BCS titles in 2007.While that would go on to represent the high water mark of Les Miles' tenure at LSU, the tide would quickly turn in favor of Saban and Alabama. His Crimson Tide would bring an undefeated record and #1 ranking into his first return to the pantheon of concrete and steel that is Tiger Stadium in 2008, while Miles' rebuilding roster limped into the matchup with question marks all over the roster. Nowhere were the questions more pressing than the quarterback position, where freshmen signal callers Jarrett Lee and Jordan Jefferson marked the beginning of the struggles that would ultimately seal Miles' fate in Baton Rouge.But on that day, with College Gameday on hand, the haunted and loud bleachers of Death Valley lifted the Tigers against all odds and took the heavily favored Crimson Tide to overtime before a fourth interception from Lee allowed Saban to escape with victory. LSU would finish the season unranked, and doubts about the stability of the program began to emerge just a year removed from the national championship.Alabama would go on to lose in Atlanta to Florida and Tim Tebow on their way to a second national title in three years under Urban Meyer. But in just his second season, the entire nation was put on notice that Saban had returned to college football as a man on a mission. That mission became absolutely clear in year 3, as Saban led the Tide to an undefeated national title in 2009. Miles and the Tigers, meanwhile, clawed their way back to respectability, with a 9-3 season and a last second Capital One Bowl loss to Penn State. But Miles damn strong Tigers would not cede the West to Alabama without a fight, and in his second return to Tiger Stadium in 2010, Saban would remember why Death Valley is "the place where opponents' dreams come to die." That win and a top 10 finish would set the stage for what was dubbed The Game of the Century in 2011, as LSU and Alabama met in Tuscaloosa as the top 2 teams in the country, and the entire sports world watched Miles and the Tigers win in overtime.That game should have gone down as the greatest regular season win in LSU history, but Saban's media orchestrated Rematch just a month later was a slap in the face to Miles, Tiger Nation, and the entire LSU program, and set the programs on diverging paths that would last more than a decade. The BCS Championship Rematch over LSU in 2011 began a streak of eight straight wins over the Tigers, and seven straight wins in the state of Louisiana. But more importantly, it began Saban's dynasty in earnest. The Tide would continue on to win double digit games in an unfathomable sixteen straight seasons, win an astounding nine SEC championships, and six national titles in his time in Tuscaloosa, firmly establishing himself as the greatest coach in college football history.The undeniable success Saban achieved at Alabama proved what an elite coach in their prime can do at a premier program when all resources are made available. It also more than vindicated his then controversial decision to leave Miami, after being painted as a "mercenary" and a "quitter". Saban tuned out the criticism, trusted in his vision that he could building something special in Tuscaloosa, and made proving the doubters wrong his entire focus.IN THE DEEP DARK HILLSWhen Lane Kiffin steps back onto the tarmac in Oxford and makes his way to the vaunted field at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, he will find far more rabid Rebels than harassed him on his way out of town. While Tiger Nation can attempt to relate to the emotions that will be overflowing from The Grove on Saturday, the experience with Saban and Alabama is not a direct comparison. As difficult as it was to see a former coach reach unprecedented levels of success at a rival, Nick Saban did not leave LSU for Alabama.Lane Kiffin, unmistakably chose LSU over Ole Miss. And if leaving a school for a historic divisional foe and border state rival wasn't insulting enough, doing it in the midst of what could have been the greatest season in program history would aggrieve even the most reasonable of SEC fans.Just as LSU did when they first faced Saban at Alabama, Ole Miss has national championship aspirations. The Rebels will be cheering on two of the nation's best players, and a number of other future NFL stars. ESPN's College Gameday will once again be on hand for a broken family reunion, and both top 10 teams appear capable of making College Football Playoff runs. All of this only adds to the emotion that will be on display during and in the lead up to this football game.The passion and intensity on display all over SEC campuses each fall Saturday is a matter of pride, inspiration, and unity. Generations gather together to celebrate their universities and the athletes that represent them. But all too often, those same urges can turn aggressive, ugly, and violent. When storylines spill over from the arena and become personal, there is real danger that no one should have to face. No matter what happens on the field on Saturday, nothing can justify any level of threat or harm off of it. When Lane Kiffin returned to Knoxville, Tennessee as the head coach of Ole Miss in 2021, more than 10 years had passed since he left the Vols to return to USC. There were widespread reports of assaults and projectiles thrown at the visiting team sidelines during the game. Rebel fans rightly condemned such dangerous and criminal acts at the time. Now, just 10 months after Kiffin walked away from what he had built in Oxford, hopefully, they still will.Every fan, player, and coach that proudly puts on their team colors and sacrifices their hard earned money and time to support their school of choice is a valued member of their teams, families, and communities. Any sensible and genuine devotee of their program should be able to acknowledge and remember that.This new chapter in the storied history between LSU and Ole Miss is one that promises years of epic games and cherished memories. This may not even be the last time the teams meet this year, as the expanded playoff makes rematches not only possible, but even likely.Here is hoping for a great and safe environment for all in attendance on Saturday. And that the seeds of this new rivalry in The Grove can grow strong and healthy with a display that all of the SEC and the region can be proud to be a part of."Walk with me out of the mouth of this holler, or we'll never leave Harlan alive..."

On This Lonely Road....

Film Study - LSU DE vs. Ole Miss OT

After weathering nine months of criticism and second guessing, Lane Kiffin finally had the chance to lead the LSU Tigers onto the football field against Dabo Swinney and his Clemson Tigers. In an epic and definitive display under the night sky of the one and only Death Valley, Kiffin showed the college football world why he made the supposedly controversial decision to leave what he had built in Oxford, Mississippi for the sky high expectations, and limitless potential, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.I’M THE OUTLAWBefore Kiffin had his long awaited chance to lead LSU out of the tunnel of Tiger Stadium after such a tumultuous offseason, there were multiple last minute storms to weather, both literal and figurative. Attacks from the carnival barkers in the media is old hat for Kiffin after 20 years of sensationalism surrounding his every move both on the field and off. But being targeted by his own conference, in court filings no less, was something even Kiffin was unprepared to deal with, especially in the week leading up to his first game with his new team.Without getting too bogged down in the mud that the SEC and commissioner Greg Sankey shamelessly tried to sling at Lane Kiffin and the LSU program, all that needs to be said is that Kiffin did nothing that the coaches at Alabama, Texas, Ole Miss, and countless other coaches around the country haven’t also done as they attempt to navigate a new world of NCAA and court sanctioned semi-professional college football. The NCAA has shown repeatedly since the legally mandated start of the NIL and transfer portal era that they have inconsistent and arbitrary standards for establishing and enforcing rules to govern which players are eligible to play, and for how long. The courts, both state and federal, have been forced to intervene over and over to ensure that player’s rights and ability to compete are not violated. Vastly more often than not, judges have sided with players in their claims due to the unintelligible at best and, outright illegal at worst, decisions by the NCAA as they have desperately fought to maintain some sort of control over a kingdom they once ruled with an iron fist.In LSU and Kiffin’s case, two players who had gone undrafted and been “cut” from NFL teams after participating in offseason workouts and minicamps but never being “rostered”, sought and received injunctive relief allowing them to play under a presumptive fifth year of eligibility while their cases moved through the courts. Never mind that they absolutely should be entitled to that fifth year under the new “5 for 5” standard established by the NCAA mere months after denying their initial request to stay in school. But the fact is that the players had a court order allowing them to play, the same way Ole Miss’ Heisman candidate Trinidad Chambliss does, although his TRO actually grants him protection to play a SIXTH season in conflict with multiple previous NCAA denials. Kiffin followed what he believed to be a valid court order, and told the players they were welcome to become a part of the team. That led to grandstanding, threats, and actual lawsuits by the SEC, outrageous character assassination and slander in the media, and opportunistic hypocrisy from coaching colleagues that have every reason to want to hinder anything Kiffin does to try to help improve his roster and program.Rather than lash out or spend his energy fighting the lies and mischaracterizations like he may have earlier in his coaching career, Kiffin maintained composure and focus, and did exactly what the commissioner demanded, even in violation of that court order. Most importantly, he made sure his team was insulated from the noise and distractions that could have derailed what ended up being one of the most memorable nights in Tiger Stadium history.I DON’T MISSAs an all too familiar evening thunderstorm roared its way up from the Gulf along the winding path of the mighty Mississippi River, Kiffin and his ambush of Tigers, along with one hundred thousand strong of their most faithful supporters, laid in wait for over two hours for their chance to finally meet the streak from South Carolina.Over more than a decade, Dabo Swinney and his Clemson Tigers had risen to the heights of the college football world. They had won 10 games or more in 12 straight seasons, won an incredible nine ACC titles, and two national championships. They also played for two more, losing one in New Orleans at the hands of Joe Burrow and the legendary 2019 team, and the other in a shootout against Lane Kiffin’s offense at Alabama in 2015. Before the night was over, that dynasty would be dismantled beyond all recognition in a fashion that may signal the end of Swinney’s time at Clemson.Kiffin’s reputation as a dizzying play caller was on full display, as his Tigers broke the school record for first downs in his first game. The offense piled up over 300 yards both rushing and passing, and built a 51-3 lead late into the fourth quarter. Before the last drive of the night when Clemson scored their lone touchdown, LSU had outgained Clemson 643 yards to 74.After weeks and months of attacks, Kiffin’s team let their play do the talking for him. In one night, the college football world witnessed what the combination of Lane Kiffin and LSU are capable of and why he was willing to leave what he had worked so hard to build at Ole Miss.Very few people outside of Tiger Nation were happy about what they saw. But for those faithful who have waited over a decade for the arrival of an offensive savant to take the purple and gold reins at LSU, it was a night when anything and everything seemed possible in the new era of college football.“You’re a little old to be fighting, and certainly too old to be losing like that…”

Justified….

Will the Tigers get a win in Oxford?

What do you think will be the final score of the game? I've got LSU 58 - LA Tech 13

LSU and Louisiana Tech score prediction 

Do you think the SEC will actually take action against LSU and remove them from the conference? 

Now that classes have started, has anyone seen anything from AD / Basketball Office on status of LSU's ability to field a basketball team?

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