Alabama’s trip to LSU in Week 10 will kick off at 3:30 p.m., ending a recent run of nighttime meetings in Baton Rouge and changing the feel of one of the SEC’s most familiar rivalries. Both teams are on a bye this week, and both entered the break ranked in the top 25.
Lane Kiffin said he never even considered that the game would not be at night. He said he did not even think to think about the time, and added that he assumed, especially after the last 16 years, the game would again be played under the lights at Tiger Stadium. The matchup has indeed been a nighttime fixture in each of the past six seasons, and the last non-night meeting in Baton Rouge came in 2010.
That history is part of why the kickoff time drew attention immediately. Alabama-LSU has long carried the weight of a night game in Baton Rouge, where the atmosphere has been a major part of the home-field edge. Kiffin said he was joking with LSU SID Michael Bonnette, suggesting the SEC may have wanted to move the game earlier to give LSU less of an advantage because of how well LSU plays at night and how intimidating it is to play there.
He also brushed off the idea that the conference would be trying to help Alabama after the recent disputes involving Kiffin, LSU and the SEC. If someone thinks the SEC wants Alabama to win this year after what has been going on, he said, they must have just been on Mars the last four months. Kiffin said he was not surprised when he looked at it that way.
The timing matters because this is not a tuneup. Alabama and LSU will meet with identical 6-2 records, and the winner will leave with a clear edge in the race through the SEC. LSU’s recent home record in the series underscores the stakes: the Tigers are 1-6 in their last seven home games against Alabama under the lights at Tiger Stadium. The next step is straightforward. Alabama and LSU will play next week in Baton Rouge, but the unusual part is already set — it will not be a night game.
