Looking to cash in on a Capital One Bowl bid or the harvest of another Cotton Bowl, LSU coach Nick Saban said the Tigers will be happy with whatever opportunity is presented.
“We’re going to get to play probably a top-10 team or close to it at whatever bowl game we go to,” Saban said. “I think the key is that we want to go show to a national audience what kind of football we play in the [Southeastern Conference] and what kind of football we play at LSU.”
LSU’s bowl fate is simple. If No. 3-ranked Auburn defeats No. 15 Tennessee in the SEC Championship Game to be televised Saturday at 5 p.m. on CBS, the Tigers will play the No. 12-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes in Orlando’s Capital One Bowl televised at noon on Jan. 1.
If the Plainsmen lose, LSU will travel to Dallas and most likely face No. 6 Texas in the Cotton Bowl televised by Fox at 10 a.m. on New Year’s Day. Auburn would take LSU’s spot in Orlando.
LSU’s last visit to the Capital One Bowl came in 1979 when the Tigers defeated Wake Forest 34-10 in what used to be called the Tangerine Bowl.
“[LSU and Auburn] are two of the best teams in the nation,” said Richard M. Jackson, the Capital One Bowl selection committee chairman. “Auburn has had a storybook season, and LSU is riding a six-game winning streak. I think either team will provide a wonderful game when they face Iowa on Jan. 1. The SEC has once again proven to be one of the nation’s finest football conferences. There were several teams in our mix to the end, and each of them would have been worthy of a bid.”
The Tigers have taken four trips to the Cotton Bowl with a 2-1-1 record.
LSU defeated then-No. 2 Arkansas 14-7 in 1966, breaking the Razorbacks 22-game winning streak. The two teams also played to a scoreless tie in 1947.
Splitting a pair of games with Texas in Dallas, LSU defeated the Longhorns 13-0 in 1963. Texas returned the favor in 2003 with a 35-20 victory.
Saban said playing in either bowl presents unique opportunities for players and fans alike.
“To be 9-2 and headed for another prestigious bowl is a tribute to the players on this team and the coaches on this staff.” Saban said. “We’re also very pleased that our fans and players will be treated to a first-class bowl no matter which bowl we end up in. The Capital One Bowl and the Cotton Bowl are tremendous bowl games.”
The Tigers will not begin bowl preparation until Dec. 15, Saban said.
LSU has a 3-1 bowl record under Saban.
“We look at bowl games as a one-game season,” Saban said. “We don’t try to drive practice all the way to the game. It’s not going to happen for more than a month from now.”
Going through three workouts with strength and conditioning coach Tommy Moffitt this week and next week, the Tigers will then go through 13 practices and a walk-through resembling spring practice, Saban said.
“I think it’s the younger guys that benefit the most from it,” Saban said. “We always have what we call an opportunity period in the bowl practices. We’ll probably have eight [practices] to take some of the guys who haven’t played that have been redshirted — that are going to be significant contributors next year. And some of the guys could even be starters next year.”
“They have to become scout team guys so they’re not working other than individually with their coach. And their exposure to what we do gets minimized, and that’s something you can pick up really nicely in spring practice — something that you can do a lot in a bowl practice scenario.”
Notes:
LSU students can order bowl tickets to both bowl games on LSUsports.net until 5 p.m. today. Students are allowed two tickets, which must be picked up in the city of LSU’s bowl game destination prior to the game.
Capital One Bowl tickets are $70 apiece, while Cotton Bowl tickets are $75 each. Credit cards will only be charged if LSU participates in the game for which students apply.
Smart guys:
Also, junior center Rudy Niswanger was named to to the 2004 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Team. This is the third consecutive year an LSU player has garnered such honors. Former Tigers offensive lineman Rodney Reed earned the honor in 2002 and 2003, while former LSU quarterback Matt Mauck also was honored last season.