LSU Football 2012: Is Alabama LSU's Biggest Rivalry Today?

The LSU Tigers and Alabama Crimson Tide's rivalry has become one of college football's best.

Let's face it—the SEC West isn't big enough to contain powerhouses like LSU and Alabama, and with both programs arguably being college football's best, Alabama has become LSU's biggest rival.

With spring football nearly complete, both squads are favorites to winning a national championship, and the best part about this rivalry is that both teams have to go through the other in order to win an SEC championship or national championship.

In the past five seasons, LSU has won 53 games and lost 14, while Alabama has won 55 and lost 12. Both records are almost unfathomable when you think about it, and those records are better than other college football elite's like Ohio State, Texas, USC, Oregon and Florida.

That's one of the main reasons why this rivalry has amplified the way that it has, because both programs are the best of the best, and it just so happens that they're not only in the same conference, but same division.

But let's not be naive here, the real reason that this rivalry is what it is today revolves around one man, and you know exactly who I'm talking about. Depending on if you wear crimson or if you wear purple, Nick Saban is either a saint or a demon, but all can agree that he's one incredible football coach.

After all, it was Saban who resurrected both LSU and Alabama from obscurity to greatness again, and as an LSU fan, I can't hate Saban. Sure, he left the school and is now coaching the Crimson Tide, but if it wasn't for him, who knows what the state of LSU football would be like right now?

When he arrived for the 2000 season, the previous five seasons, LSU's record was 33-24-1. Talk about a game-changing hire. He, of course, led the Tigers to winning the 2003 national championship and would eventually lead Alabama to championships in 2009 and 2011.

Given the fact that his last championship came against LSU in New Orleans, this rivalry is only getting more fierce by the season, and with a night game (finally) in Tiger Stadium on CBS featuring Alabama and LSU, expect the rivalry to go to a whole new level.

It might not be Ohio State vs. Michigan or Alabama vs. Auburn, for that matter, but LSU and Alabama is becoming one of college football's main attractions.