Alabama Crimson Tide Vs LSU Tigers

Seven undefeated teams went on the road last weekend and four failed to come away with a win.

Saturday night my beloved Crimson Tide visits Death Valley in Baton Rouge.  Legendary Coach Bear Bryant once said, “It’s the worst place in the world for a visiting team. It's like being inside a drum."  Tigers faithful say it’s where visiting teams go to die.  Anyone who has had more than a casual conversation with a resident of Baton Rouge knows, “Deaf Valluh at naught is majicole.”

If you root for a team in the Big 10 or PAC 12 you might rely heavily on ESPN’s Matchup Predictor to determine Saturday’s winner.  You might be inclined to check the Vegas bookies for the betting odds.

 

Predicting the outcome of this game is folly.  The team with the most grit, guts and determination will win. This game could decide the conference and national championship race.  There’s a reason CBS reserves a slot on the First Saturday in November every year—so they can carry the game between two teams whose lifeblood centers on bragging rights. 

Oh, there’s bitterness aplenty alright.  During Bye Week, LSU’s defensive back Dwayne Thomas did a little trash talking, “I really see us dominating this offense. I really see us dominating this team. This is the year. We've been letting them off the hook for the last couple of years. This is my senior year. We're going out with a bang. It's time for us to bring that win back. We're going to be at home. I feel like we have the edge to take it to them, and we're going to take it to them. I feel like we're going to dominate this game."

The Tide’s monster linebacker Reuben Foster had an answer for Thomas:

The Purge #savage pic.twitter.com/N8PnSCrmk4

— Reuben Foster (@reubenfoster_FG) October 28, 2016

Saturday night one war horse will bask in the glory of victory; the other will languish in disappointment.

My SEC sister, Diogenes, is a devout LSU fan.  I am a rabid Alabama fan.  I consider it a blessing to share a sport I love with someone I care about.  Since 2014 she and I have had a friendly wager on the Bama-LSU game.  The loser would make a donation to The Wounded Warrior Project; out of love for our brave military service members the winner would make a donation as well.  This is the way two dyed-in-the-wool fans handle their fierce competitive spirit.

Continuing our tradition, this year we agreed to make a contribution to Shriners Hospitals for Children.  Since 1922, more than 1.3 million children have received life-changing care at Shriners Hospitals helping them reach their potential to lead more fulfilling lives regardless of a family’s ability to pay.

I’ve already wished her the best of luck and expressed my hope for a good, clean game where neither team has any serious injuries.  

ROLL TIDE ROLL!