Conference realignment and the College Football Playoff have changed the place traditional rivalries hold in college football. The USC–Notre Dame series, often called the sport’s “Greatest Intersectional Rivalry,” is one example: the schools won’t meet again until at least 2030 after passing on a 2027 game.
Scheduling changes are reshaping rivalries within conferences, too. Alabama and LSU meet in Baton Rouge this weekend, both with 6-2 records and plenty at stake in the playoff race. A three-loss team could still get consideration, but the loser will have little room for error.
The matchup also marks the end of a run of 63 straight seasons in which the teams have played each other. They’re scheduled to meet again in 2028, but upcoming SEC schedules won’t preserve the annual game.
LSU coach Lane Kiffin said he was disappointed by that change, though he acknowledged that money often drives decisions about realignment and rivalries. He said college football has improved in some ways, but he and many others would prefer to keep more of its familiar traditions intact.
“It’s all sad in general,” Kiffin said, speaking about the way financial interests can reshape long-standing rivalries. He added that television contracts and other business considerations seem to leave little protected.
Kiffin also had a complaint about this year’s kickoff. The game is set for 2:30 p.m. local time, rather than the nighttime slot LSU fans often associate with big games at Tiger Stadium.
At a news conference Monday, Kiffin pointed to the noise at Tennessee’s game against Alabama, which also began at 2:30 p.m. Central, and said it appeared to disrupt the Tide’s offense. He suggested LSU’s crowd could have a similar effect.
His advice to fans hoping to make plenty of noise was to shift their usual routine earlier. “Have breakfast earlier. Start drinking earlier,” he said, adding that fans might want to go to bed earlier Friday night, too.
Kiffin said he had assumed the Alabama–LSU game would be played at night, as it has been during much of his time in the SEC. He called that assumption naïve.
That comment contrasts with something Kiffin said while coaching Ole Miss. At the time, he had complained that LSU was getting another night game, while his own fans had yet to get one for a conference matchup.
The kickoff time could matter in a game expected to be close, but LSU’s bigger concern is getting a win in a major rivalry game. And while conference schedules may change, coaches finding something to complain about probably won’t.
