LSU Football: The Tigers' Five Worst Bowl Games of All Time

LSU has asserted its dominance this decade, winning two of its three national championships since 2001 and Les Miles is widely considered one of the best coaches in the nation.

This year the Tigers will face Alabama again but this time a shot at a fourth national championship is on the line. But not all of the postseason memories are fond ones.

Here are the five worst bowl games in LSU history.

1989 Hall of Fame Bowl

Losing by 13 to Syracuse isn’t too terrible but the loss signified much more for LSU. Following the 1988 season, the Tigers didn’t make it back to a bowl of any kind until 1995 and didn’t get back into a January bowl game until 2001.

In this game, Syracuse played strong, consistent football, scoring in every quarter while holding LSU to just 10 points. The Orangemen opened the game with an 80-yard touchdown drive and closed the game with a touchdown in the final minute.

1985 Sugar Bowl

LSU came into the 1985 Sugar Bowl 8-2-1 and ranked 11th in the country but it was no match for the fifth ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers. The Tigers had the lead going into the half but Nebraska scored 21 unanswered points to win the game, 28-10.

This was the second year in a row that LSU had lost to Nebraska and it would happen again in the 1987 Gator Bowl.

2010 Capital One Bowl

From a scoring perspective, this game was run of the mill but the way LSU lost this game has to be one of the most frustrating. The field was in the worst condition of any game I have ever seen and the rain came strong for most of the game. Check out the video for more details on that.

The ball went wherever it wanted and it was just an ugly game of football. It is so far the only loss in a bowl that the Tigers have had under Les Miles.

1950 Sugar Bowl

LSU wasn’t supposed to beat the No. 2 Oklahoma Sooners but the Tigers failed to even show up to the Sugar Bowl, losing the game 35-0.

But what really set this game apart was the fact that former LSU player Piggy Barnes was caught spying on the Sooners with a telescope and camera. So the Tigers cheated and got crushed. Ouch.

1960 Sugar Bowl

Ole Miss and LSU are now conference rivals but the Rebels beat the Tigers that year in order to lay claim to the national championship, 21-0. Since then, they have not been shut out in any bowl.

What makes this game even worse is that LSU was ranked third in the country and was at least supposed to put up a fight down the road from home in New Orleans. Ole Miss held the team to just 74 total yards of offense, including an incredible -15 yards rushing. Not a good look for the third ranked team in the country.