Did Alabama Coach “Influence” LSU Being Dropped From Schedule?

(KMDL-FM) If you live within the footprint of the almighty Southeastern Conference in college football, congratulations. You live where the most amazing college football is played every year. You are also aware that your favorite team might not be playing some of the teams you hate with a passion because of recent schedule changes within the conference.

The schedule makers at the Southeastern Conference's football division have been burning the midnight oil ever since Texas and Oklahoma joined the conference. Their task? Come up with a way to have as many member schools face each other in football without messing up established rivalries and having the conference cannibalize itself, as far as the chances of getting into the College Football Playoffs are concerned.

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Earlier this week, the SEC announced each school's three "permanent" opponents and which teams they would be facing on a rotating schedule. In a lot of cases, the conference did well. They kept a lot of geographical rivalries intact. And they also kept a lot of great football games on the schedule for many years to come, except one.

The fact that the University of Alabama and Louisiana State University will not meet each other every year in college football is a slap in the face to anyone who has ever booed Brent Musberger or been livid at Verne Lundquist for being on the call when their team lost.

Why Did The SEC Choose to Lose the Biggest Football Game of the Season?

Alabama vs LSU is more than a football game. It is THE football game in the south. Nope, you can keep your Iron Bowl, Egg Bowl, Belk Bowl, and whatever it is they play for between Tennessee and Kentucky and toss it all in the trash. Those games don't add up to the two-week fever that is the 14 days leading up to he game. And now, the SEC has taken it away.

Perhaps it was the new coach of the school who is going to struggle mightily for the next four years until he is fired? Okay, speculation on my part about getting fired, but Alabama is going to struggle under Kalen DeBoer. In fact, the notion is so prevalent in the minds of football fans that many thought he must have had some influence on quietly not having to face LSU every year.

There is evidence that suggests Alabama was growing tired of the annual LSU trial by fire. You might recall that back in 2023, then-coach Nick Saban said he wouldn't want LSU to be one of Alabama's three permanent opponents. I wonder if Saban's memo made it to DeBoer, who made sure through Alabama supporters that the word got to the conference officials who would be making the call?

Did Kalen DeBoer Influence Alabama Not Playing LSU Every Year?

DeBoer was asked about the LSU match-up on several occasions, and in each query, he stated he had nothing to do with it. He was also quick to remind those who asked that the Tide and Tigers will meet every other year beginning in 2026.

LSU Coach Brian Kelly says he is okay with the game going away. I am sure from the Tigers' standpoint, playing a weaker Alabama team won't do anything for their strength of schedule anyway, so why not add a team like Clemson, no wait, not them, but you know what I mean, a team that's good and going to be good in the coming years.

Meanwhile, the Tide and its plethora of wide as elephant fans can get to cheering for the huge game with Mississippi State every year. I hope you all go deaf from having a cowbell rung in your ear. You can always turn on the captions when the College Football Playoffs are on TV because that's how you're going to be watching them.