No. 13 LSU hosts No. 1 Alabama on Saturday night with a chance to snap its five-game losing streak to the Crimson Tide and give interim coach Ed Orgeron a huge accomplishment to put on his résumé should he seek a permanent job as the Tigers’ coach. LSU is listed as just a 7.5-point home underdog, which is something considering that the Tigers fired Les Miles earlier this year, Alabama hasn’t been favored by less than 10 points all season and the Crimson Tide has won all but one game by at least 19 points.
[College football TV schedule and preview: Can LSU’s Leonard Fournette finally solve Alabama?]
But LSU definitely has a chance here, and not simply because running back Leonard Fournette is once again a human wrecking ball. Consider the following, as noted by Master_Shake on LSU’s 247 Sports message board:
In 1997 …
— There were two NFL games that ended in ties.
— The Cleveland Indians advanced to the World Series, losing the seventh game in extra innings.
In 2016 . ..
— There have been two NFL games that ended in ties, for the first time since 1997.
— The Cleveland Indians advanced to the World Series for the first time since 1997, losing the seventh game in extra innings.
That’s noteworthy because also in 1997, No. 1 Florida came to Death Valley averaging nearly 50 points per game. The Gators had beaten their five previous opponents by an average of 36 points per game.
Final score: No. 14 LSU 28, No. 1 Florida 21.
If only this year’s Tigers were ranked 14th in the AP or College Football Playoff polls to complete the coincidence. They are No. 14 in the coaches’ poll, however. Spooky.
