A chill ran by means of the air.

Nineteen years in the past, on Christmas day, Miami Dolphins followers awoke to cheers and a shiny new current. Meanwhile, LSU followers awoke to lumps of coal.

On Dec 25, 2004, Nick Saban, then head coach of LSU, formally accepted the Miami Dolphins supply, making him their new head coach.  

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LSU entered the 2004 season trying to win back-to-back National Championships, as a substitute they completed with three losses, together with a detailed loss within the Capitol One Bowl. The Tigers misplaced 30-25 after the Iowa Hawkeyes threw a landing on the ultimate play of the sport. 

The lackluster season prompted some LSU followers to take a position why Saban left. 

The fact of the matter is he needed to educate skilled soccer, and was supplied extra money. Fans, whereas nonetheless upset at his departure, revered his choice. The fanbase initially lacked animosity for Saban. While it stung, loads of Tigers’ had been able to cheer him on on the subsequent degree. 

How do LSU followers really feel now?

Recently there was a debate on if LSU followers genuinely dislike Nick Saban, or had sufficient time handed to the place he had been forgiven. A ballot titled “Nick Saban, yes or no?” ran on Istagram and obtained round 200 votes. Thirty-eight college students voted in favor of Saban, 174 voted in opposition to him. 

A ballot isn’t sufficient although. The college students and followers have emotion, one thing polls lack. The Reveille interviewed LSU college students and every of them gave perception into how they really feel about Saban.

The questions had been easy, “are you an LSU fan?”, all answered sure, and “how do you feel about Nick Saban?” Most of the scholars agreed that Saban was a very good coach, however did not like how he left LSU and went to Alabama. 

“He’s a respectable coach,” mentioned Billy Kistner, a pupil at LSU. He continued on saying, “I don’t like him because we have to face him”, and reasoned it is as a result of he believes Saban is a “very effective and talented coach”.

That was a largely shared philosophy inside the group of individuals interviewed.

“You have to respect him, he’s the greatest college coach of all time,” LSU freshman Alex Pierce mentioned. “I respect for coaching here at LSU, but there are some feelings of negativity towards him,” as a result of, “he said he would stay here for a long time.”

Of course there was the same old quips and hypothesis about Alabama’s success. 

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“The person who makes the schedules is an Alabama alumni, so that’s why they always have an easy schedule,” Joshua Cruthirds mentioned about Alabama’s power of schedule. He prefaced that statements with expletives describing Saban.

Decades later, the animosity for Alabama- and extra importantly, Saban- nonetheless exists.

The Tigers and Alabama have a rivalry with an extended historical past; whereas different universities can try to copy it, no program is matching the animosity each applications have for one another.

Crimson Tide and LSU followers will argue all week because the groups are set to face one another this Saturday. Although the matchup has taken place for many years, Saban might have to attend a pair extra a long time earlier than he’s welcomed again in Baton Rouge.