LSU football fans have had Nov. 8 marked down as a must-see game since last season.But the action on the field Saturday between No. 16 LSU and No. 1 Alabama isn’t the only storyline surrounding campus this week. Fans are also eagerly awaiting the meeting of minds on the sidelines — the return of former LSU coach and current Alabama coach Nick Saban to Tiger Stadium.Saban took over as Alabama’s coach in January 2007 after leading LSU to a national championship in 2003, and most LSU fans don’t think much of Saban these days.Nicole Catoir, civil engineering freshman, voiced her opinion of Saban with conviction.”Nick Saban can suck it!” she said.When Catoir was handed a picture of the coach, she violently crumpled it into several pieces.One of the biggest gatherings of LSU fans before the pivotal game will be at Tiger Manor Condominiums at 7 p.m. Friday night. The complex will host the second “‘Bama Burning Man Party,” where fans will make a bonfire and burn a makeshift Nick Saban doll.”Basically the party is to rally the LSU fans in our residence to support the team when they play against Alabama,” said Mistie Rice, the event’s coordinator. “We’ll have a scarecrow with Nick Saban’s face on it.” Rice said she and her staff have been working hard to promote the event, which will be aired by CBS during Saturday’s game.”We’ve really been trying to get the word out to get as many people to come as we can,” Rice said. “Last year we had about 40 or 50 people show up, but this year we’ve been advertising with billboards and ads in The [Daily] Reveille and other newspapers, so I think we’ll have at least 100 people.”Mike Appleby, accounting junior, had similar desires to burn Saban when he was handed a picture of the coach.”Does anybody have a lighter? A lighter, anyone?” Appleby said sarcastically in the Quad.Lauren Avis, nursing sophomore, said Saban had no loyalty, and she directly addressed a picture of Saban as LSU coach.”Well, Nick [Saban], this was you, and thank you for all you did, but I’m really glad for what you didn’t do,” Avis said. “Because now we have Les [Miles], and you’re pretty much an ass, so good luck.”Bill Thompson, English sophomore, reacted passionately when he was asked his opinion of Saban. He completely ripped a picture of Saban and then shoved the pieces into his mouth.”I want to eat Nick Saban’s babies,” Thompson said, followed by several expletives directed at the coach.Amanda Maurin, kinesiology freshman, said she was an LSU fan when Saban was coach, but now she sees him as a “traitor.” When she was handed a picture of Saban, she immediately ripped it up.Maurin said the ‘Bama Burning Man Party sounded “intense,” but she didn’t mind the idea.”I don’t think I’m taking part in any burnings,” she said. “That’s extreme. But it’s cool; I like it.”Rice said LSU fans who attend the bonfire are excited to support LSU, but she expects the hatred of Saban “will be stronger than it was last year.””No one seems to be too hostile. It’s mainly just all in good fun,” Rice said. “We didn’t have anybody do any vandalism or anyone try to jump into the fire with Nick Saban or anything like that.”Rice said the passion of the fans about beating Saban has brought some negative reaction from Alabama fans.”We’ve gotten some pretty nasty e-mails and voicemails from some of the Alabama fans,” she said. “A lot of times they’ll call and say, ‘Roll Tide,’ and then hang up on us, or they’ll play their fight song on our voicemail.”—-Contact Rachel Whittaker at [email protected]