LSU Still Gets Night Kickoff Vs. No. 8 Texas Despite Falling To 24th In A.P. Poll With 31-13 Loss To Alabama

By GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor

Well, LSU can’t blame the Southeastern Conference and commissioner Greg Sankey for its humiliating, 31-13 loss to touchdown-underdog Texas on Saturday, and it can’t blame the SEC or Sankey for its kickoff time on this upcoming Saturday.

The Tigers (6-3, 3-3 SEC), who fell from No. 15 to No. 24 in the Associated Press poll on Sunday, will get their fan base’s and coach Lane Kiffin’s beloved night time kickoff Saturday at 6:30 p.m. on ABC against No. 8 Texas (7-2, 4-2 SEC), the SEC announced on Sunday.

Kiffin and fans had cried conspiracy last week when the SEC put No. 15 LSU vs. No. 9 Alabama – according to the A.P. poll a week ago – at 2:30 p.m. instead of at night. Then LSU played like it was in the 11 a.m. game against Bama, which outscored the Tigers 21-0 over the final 36 seconds of the third quarter and the fourth for the win.

Alabama Hands LSU Another 21-0 Shutout In 31-13 Drubbing After Tigers Led 13-10 Late In 3rd Quarter

Now, LSU gets its prime time affair to try to gain its first poll-quality win of the season. The Tigers so far are 0-for-3 against teams (Ole Miss, Kentucky and Alabama) currently ranked in the College Football Playoff rankings or the less significant A.P. poll that was released on Sunday.

What Are LSU’s College Football Playoff Chances After The Loss To Alabama? Hello Crowded Bubble

The Tigers dropped nine spots from No. 15 to No. 24 on Sunday – the biggest drop in the poll other than Ohio State falling from 11 to 21 after a 41-28 loss to unranked Oregon, which rose to No. 18.

Texas rose from No. 10 to No. 8 after winning at No. 19 Missouri, 34-20, as quarterback Arch Manning completed 28 of 38 passes for 297 yards and three touchdowns.

Texas will play LSU in Tiger Stadium for the first time since the 1953 season opener when the unranked Tigers of coach Gaynell Tinsley upset the No. 11 Longhorns of coach Ed Price, 20-7, in a night game in front of 40,000.

Manning will be the third Manning to play LSU in Tiger Stadium. His grandfather Archie Manning of Drew, Mississippi, and Ole Miss upset No. 14 LSU, 27-24, in Tiger Stadiun on Nov. 2, 1968, at night, and Manning and the unranked Rebels beat No. 8 LSU, 26-23, in an ABC nationally televised day game in 1969 by 26-23 in Jackson, Mississippi. No. 8 LSU beat No. 16 Ole Miss and Manning on Dec. 5, 1970, in Tiger Stadium on ABC at night to clinch the SEC regular season title.

Archie Manning’s son Eli Manning and Ole Miss defeated LSU, 35-24, in Tiger Stadium on ESPN2 at night on Oct. 27, 2001. The next season also at Tiger Stadium, No. 21 LSU beat Manning and the Rebels, 14-13, on Nov. 23 at night on ESPN2. No. 3 LSU beat Manning and No. 15 Ole Miss, 17-14, on Nov. 22, 2003, in the CBS afternoon game in Oxford, Mississippi, and the Tigers went on to win their first national championship since 1958.

Arch Manning will bring in a 3-2 family record against LSU and a 1-2 mark in Tiger Stadium.

Georgia (8-1) went up one spot to take over the No. 1 spot in the Associated Press poll on Sunday after beating No. 12 Ole Miss, 42-7, in Oxford because previous No. 1 Miami (8-1) dropped four spots to No. 5 after a 31-24 loss at No. 4 Notre Dame.

The rest of the top 10 featured No. 2 Utah (9-0), No. 3 Notre Dame (8-1), No. 4 UCLA (9-0), No. 5 Miami (8-1), No. 6 Indiana (8-1), No. 7 Alabama (7-2), No. 8 Texas (7-2), No. 9 Tennessee (7-2) and No. 10 Texas Tech (8-1).

The second 10 saw No. 11 Wake Forest, No. 12 BYU, No. 13 Kentucky, No. 14 Houston, No. 15 USC, No. 16 Iowa, No. 17 Boise State, No. 18 Oregon, No. 19 Ole Miss, No. 20 South Carolina, No. 21 Ohio State, No. 22 Arizona, No. 23 New Mexico, No. 24 LSU and No. 25 SMU.

The next College Football Playoff rankings come out Tuesday at 8 p.m. on ESPN.