By GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor
If anyone notices LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt pinching himself before he takes his first snap Saturday against Alabama in Tiger Stadium, do not be surprised.
He was 14 years old in West Linn, Oregon, when he watched No. 1 LSU and Heisman Trophy-winning-quarterback-to-be Joe Burrow beat No. 2 Alabama, 46-41, on Nov. 9, 2019, from Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, on CBS. And he watched other games in what has been the Southeastern Conference’s best rivalry through most of this century.
The two league titans meet again Saturday as College Football Playoff No. 14-ranked LSU (6-2, 3-2 SEC) hosts CFP No. 5 Alabama (6-2, 4-2) at 2:30 p.m. on ABC.
“Obviously, it means a lot,” Leavitt told reporters Tuesday. “And for me to be in this position after being a little kid, and if someone told me Bama was playing LSU on Saturday, I was going to be watching that game. Being from the West Coast and fantasizing when watching a game down here not being a part of it, it’s going to be a surreal and special experience.”
Leavitt will enter the Alabama game No. 28 in the nation and fourth in the SEC in passing efficiency at 157.3 on 180-of-256 passing for 2,173 yards and 17 touchdowns with eight interceptions. He leads the No. 6 offense in the nation that is averaging 510 yards a game.
He has heard and noticed the significance of the Alabama game while moving about town over the last two weeks with both teams open last weekend.
“To the fans around the entire state, it’s going to be the biggest game of the year,” Leavitt said.
A win would propel LSU into the top 12 of the CFP for the 12-team playoff.
“I hear all the time, if I’m going to the store to grab something, getting food or whatever,” he said. “They’re saying, ‘Hey, go beat Bama.’ Obviously, it means a lot.”
As Arizona State’s quarterback the previous two seasons, Leavitt experienced that program’s rivalry with Arizona.
“That rivalry is incredible,” he said. “And the cool thing about that is you live next to people who are Arizona or Arizona State. But obviously, this one is a little bigger stage. Little more weight that carries to it. I’m just blessed to be here and excited for the opportunity.”
Regardless of the CFP’s curious ranking of Alabama at No. 5 with a loss to No. 13 Tennessee, LSU is a 5.5-point favorite to beat the Crimson Tide.
“I really don’t care,” Leavitt said when asked about the CFP rankings before they came out Tuesday night. “At the end of the day, we’ve got to go win games. So hearing the rankings right now doesn’t matter. We could be 1 or 50, and if we go win or lose the next five or four, that ranking doesn’t even apply. You’ve got to focus on the moment at hand.”
LSU has three regular season games remaining after Alabama (No. 7 CFP Texas, No, 13 CFP Tennessee and Arkansas) and a possible date in the SEC Championship Game on Dec. 5. But all Leavitt can think about is LSU-Bama, finally in the flesh.
“It’s going to be a very emotional and high-stakes game,” he said. “And I’m really excited to go play against them.”
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