When No. 1 Alabama (8-0) visits Baton Rouge to take on No. 5 LSU (7-1), there will be a plethora of reasons for both squads to put on a show.
Both teams are currently in striking distance of making a BCS National Championship game appearance, and a win would propel one of the two squads further into the title game discussion.
The immense bragging rights and personal pride riding on this contest are two more reasons to come away victorious.
There is an implication that flies under the radar, though.
To become a commanding team in the Southeastern Conference, a program must be imposing in the recruiting department. Players like defensive tackles Bennie Logan and Anthony Johnson, defensive end Barkevious Mingo and safety Craig Loston don’t grow on trees.
“To get a win in this game, it’s not only a big win for us,” Loston said. “It’s a big win for the future of LSU.”
A victory for the Tigers this weekend could directly impact the program’s recruiting for next season.
“This game always has a big impact on recruiting,” Logan said. “A recruit may not want to go to a school where they keep losing the big game. They also want to see the atmosphere in these big-time games.”
Logan said before his visit to LSU, the Tiger-Tide rivalry had little effect on him.
The same couldn’t be said once he experienced the electric atmosphere of Tiger Stadium.
“Once I came here and I saw the game, that’s when I made my decision and said, ‘Yeah, this is home for me, and this is where I want to play,’” Logan said. “The physical way [that LSU plays] and the way they get to the ball — that’s when I knew that I wanted to play [in Baton Rouge].”
Loston, though unaffected by the matchup during his personal recruiting process, shared Logan’s beliefs about the game’s implications on recruits’ decisions.
“Any time you’ve got a big game here and you have big recruits that you plan on getting, you want to invite them down to the game,” Loston said.
Mingo echoed the view about the rivalry’s impact on recruiting. He emphasized the importance of being a winning program in the eyes of high school athletes, as some recruits may make their decisions based how successful a certain program is on the field.
“I’m pretty sure there’s some high school kids out there who want to go to a winning team, and they let a game like this decide where they’re going to spend the next four or five years,” Mingo said.
Though Johnson wasn’t directly affected by the rivalry itself, he noticed a key difference in how the two universities pursued him in high school.
“[Alabama coach] Nick Saban has more of a hard-on approach, but [LSU coach] Les Miles wants to get to know your family first,” Johnson said. “Both of them are great coaches, but they have different personalities. With Les, it’s more of a family atmosphere. That’s what brought my family and I closer to [LSU].”
Johnson knows the importance of this Saturday’s contest on the future of the program.
“It’s the biggest game of the year,” Johnson said. “You get to see some of the best guys in the nation play each other. It’s definitely a big deal in the recruiting process.”
