It’s going to happen Saturday afternoon in Death Valley. That’s when we’ll truly find out if the 2003 LSU football team is for real.
Now whether the Tigers win or not doesn’t answer the question. It’ll be answered by how they compete and play in the game against what many consider to be the best team in the Southeastern Conference.
Nick Saban said it best Monday at his press luncheon. He said Saturday’s game against No. 7 Georgia is not a make or break game for the Tigers.
Hellfire and brimstone shall not be cast upon Tiger Stadium if LSU loses. Nor will LSU get an automatic invitation to the BCS national championship if they win. After this game there are still eight regular season games left, including seven Southeastern Conference games.
It’s important for the Tigers to stay on an even keel emotionally for this game. Yes, it’s important to get hyped up, fired up and get the crowd into it, but it’s also important to not let your emotions make you out of control which lead to things like stupid personal fouls, unsportsmanlike trash-talking penalties.
Saban also brought up another good point. What if the Tigers win this game and come out next week and lay an egg against Mississippi State?
Didn’t we see this happen before? Against Florida in 1997, the last time Chris Fowler, Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit and the ESPN GameDay crew were on campus, the Tigers upset the No. 1 Gators and sent Baton Rouge into a mass chaos. Goalposts were being carted down streets, the field was scorched.
Then what happened the next week? LSU fell flat on its face against Tommy Tuberville and Ole Miss and were embarrassed at home.
So if LSU wins, that’s fantastic. Really, it is. And if that happens, how they come out against Jackie Sherrill and the Bulldogs will be an interesting study. But if the Tigers lose, it’s not the end of the world, the season will not be over with nothing left to play for. In fact, there could be a rematch in December in the SEC championship.
Anyone remember LSU losing to Tennessee 26-18 in Knoxville in Sept. 2001 yet beating the Vols in December for the SEC championship?
Similar situations here.
LSU fans need to look at this game as a measuring stick to where the Tigers are relative to other nationally ranked teams in the nation and how they respond to the hype, pressure and attention this game is receiving is what I am anxious to see.
We’ll find out Saturday afternoon.