Yesterday, my colleague Ronnie McLellan wrote a column with one basic message – Ole Miss is not receiving enough respect.
He said the Rebels are not getting their due in the polls, the national media or the Southeastern Conference, even though they are 6-0 and the frontrunner in the SEC West.
I agree with Ronnie’s assessment of the Rebels position in the polls- I don’t think No. 17 is high enough for a team that is 6-0 in the SEC.
But other than that, it seems like all people around Baton Rouge and in the media can talk about is the possible SEC West deciding game between LSU and Ole Miss in two weeks.
There is one problem – if LSU does not take care of business this weekend against a very capable Alabama team, bye bye SEC title, bye bye national championship, and most likely, bye bye BCS bowl.
Here’s why.
LSU is 4-1 in the SEC. Impressive? Yes. League clinching? Not this year.
The Tigers have three games remaining, and no matter what anyone would like to think, the LSU-Alabama game this weekend is the Tigers’ most important of the season.
This is because after LSU, the only team Ole Miss must face is the downright dreadful Mississippi State Bulldogs. The Rebels will not lose to MSU, rivalry game or not.
So if LSU loses to Alabama, that just makes the Rebels’ Senior Day that much better, because Eli Manning and Co. could basically start celebrating their first ever trip to Atlanta for the SEC Championship game, win or lose against LSU.
The reason the whole situation seems realistic is because it already happened this season.
LSU came out of a bye week undefeated earlier in the season, only to come out flat and lay down a stinker in its only loss of the season to Florida.
Fortunately for Tigers fans, the probability of that happening is low.
Nick Saban is a different breed of coach, a man who is all business and knows what must be done to be successful.
He warned his team the whole week before Florida that a letdown could be on the horizon in the team’s intensity did not remain the same.
The Tigers did not heed his warnings that week. You better believe they will this week.
Alabama is a program full of tradition and pride, but a program that is hurting.
At 4-6, the Crimson Tide are suffering through a subpar season and would desperately love to knock LSU off its No. 3 perch.
They also pounded LSU 31-0 last year, dominating every phase of the game.
They could easily be 7-3 this year, with two losses coming in overtime and a tight three-point loss to Northern Illinois.
‘Bama gave Oklahoma its most competitive game of the season, going blow-for-blow with the dominating Sooners before falling 20-13.
In the past, this would be a game LSU would lose, but it seems like LSU has turned the corner as a program – if not, Tigers fans will have to suffer through watching Ole Miss represent the SEC in the championship game.s