LSU vs. Alabama Rematch: For LSU, 2011 Championship Means More Than '03 and '07

For the LSU Tigers, a championship this season will mean more than their past two championships.

I believe with all of my heart that this game on Jan. 9 means more to Tiger fans than the 2003 and 2007 national championships. (Since I wasn’t around for the 1958 national championship season, I won’t touch that.)

For the 2003 national championship, I was just happy to see my LSU Tigers play with the elite for the coveted crown. The Tigers had begun the rise to prominence in 2000. That promise finally came to fruition in a game for all the marbles against the Oklahoma Sooners.

Obviously, I wanted to see them win the game, but the fact that they were there was enough for me back then.

Fast forward to 2007 and we witness one of the craziest regular seasons in college football history. The Tigers lose two games in overtime that year—including the last game of the regular season against the Arkansas Razorbacks—and seemed to have lost all hope of playing in the national championship.

That was until all hell broke loose. After an insane weekend of college football—highlighted by a Pittsburgh Panther upset over the West Virginia Mountaineers—the Tigers faced the Ohio State Buckeyes in the title game. The Tigers beat Ohio State, and the rest is history.

That game meant a lot, but because of the roller coaster of emotions over the course of the season, I wasn’t sure how I was supposed to feel. Obviously, I was ecstatic for another LSU championship.

Now fast forward four more years, and the Tigers are undefeated in a season highlighted by resilience, blowouts and a 9-6 overtime thriller against the Alabama Crimson Tide.

When Alabama beat out Oklahoma State in the polls, that set up the rematch. This championship game means more to fans than the previous championship games against Oklahoma and Ohio State.

One reason this game means so much to Tiger fans because the LSU team is aiming for a historic 14-0 regular season, and that’s something that has never been achieved in the school’s history.

Not only are they chasing 14-0, but they’re also chasing the so-called “greatest season in college football history." Should the Tigers win on Jan. 9, LSU team will be talked about whenever college football fans look back at the greatest teams of all time.

With a victory over Alabama, the Tigers will have beaten eight ranked teams, including four victories over a top three team. That’s insane. When you think about everything these Tigers have had to overcome on and off the field this year, this season has been truly remarkable.

And the final reason the game means so much has to be because of who they’re playing.

The rematch with the Alabama Crimson Tide—and former LSU head coach Nick Saban—brings everything full circle. As an LSU fan, I feel like this is the game that every game in the past has been leading up to.

There’s no doubt in my mind that this is the best LSU team of all time. They will have their hands full with another epic clash with those juggernauts from Alabama. It will be another tough game, but Tiger fans don’t want to lose to what LSU fans love to call “Gumps.”

It's quite a clever nickname when you think about it, and it brings a smile to my face every time I hear it. Go ahead try it out. Call an Alabama fan a "Gump." They won't like it, but it's hilarious! They'll make a corn dog joke, and then you just let bygones be bygones.

All joking aside, this game really does mean the world to me and all LSU fans. I feel like it would take a while for LSU fans to get over a loss to Alabama in the championship game, especially having already beat them.

With everything riding on the line and pride of the SEC at stake, Jan. 9 will be the biggest day in the history of LSU athletics.