Alabama and LSU have played each other annually since 1964, but that streak comes to an end in 2027, per the SEC’s annual rivalries schedule released in September. Some fans are upset by this, but others are relieved to have this tough matchup off the annual schedule.
Starting next season, there will be nine SEC games for each team instead of the usual eight, and only three are guaranteed. Alabama’s three guaranteed yearly opponents will be Auburn, Tennessee and Mississippi State.
The Crimson Tide won the last 16 games in a row against Mississippi State and has an 86-18-3 record against them. This left a lot of fans puzzled as to why the Crimson Tide will face the Bulldogs annually starting next season.
“Who had the authority to select the 3 permanent teams that all these sec teams play for 4 seasons? Broke Sim posted on X. “Alabama has less rivalry with Mississippi State than with LSU or Georgia.”
Other fans were more optimistic.
“Huge for Alabama to get Mississippi State and not LSU as the 3rd permanent opponent,” Tyler Vesely posted on X, in response to a post of the annual opponents for each SEC squad.
Though the Crimson Tide won nine of the last 11 games against the LSU Tigers, including each of the last three, there have been a few recent matchups that cost Alabama a playoff spot.
In 2019, No. 2 LSU took on No. 3 Alabama in Tuscaloosa and defeated the Crimson Tide 46-41, snapping an eight-game losing streak against Alabama. The Crimson Tide went on to miss the playoffs, while the Tigers won the championship.
In 2022, the Crimson Tide took on the Tigers on the road, following its 52-49 loss to the Volunteers three weeks prior. Alabama was desperate for a bounce-back victory to keep its playoff hopes alive, but LSU defeated Alabama in overtime, eliminating them from playoff contention.
Since then, the Crimson Tide has won three straight over the Tigers, even eliminating LSU from playoff contention in 2024 with a blowout road victory. In 2025, Alabama’s defense shut down an upset-minded Tigers team in an offensive slugfest.
Gabriel Hardin said that the 2024 blowout contributed to the SEC’s decision to remove the annual Alabama-LSU rivalry. Hardin posted a photo on X of last season’s final score and called it the “nail in the coffin” for the annual rivalry.
Alabama fans said that the rivalry is a tradition and should have been protected.
X user Dixie Yankee, an Alabama fan, referenced the infamous “Dixieland Delight” song that Crimson Tide fans sing at every home game in a post.
“There’s no reason Alabama/LSU shouldn’t be an annual matchup. It’s in the song.”
Another fan, Maye and Mike SZN, questioned why the SEC would “rob” fans of the historic Alabama and LSU matchup.
While the two teams may not meet every season, they are scheduled to play in 2026 and 2028. If the pattern continues, the two teams will still match up once every two seasons, keeping the rivalry alive and building anticipation for the next time they meet.
“As an LSU fan, I don’t want to live in a world without LSU/Bama and LSU/Florida,” Bryan Day posted on X. “Sad day for the SEC.”
