PALMER: LSU doesn’t have a true Thanksgiving-week rival, and that’s ok

By Hunt Palmer

This is the biggest week of the year most places.

Not in Louisiana.

Two states over, the Iron Bowl is woven into the fabric of the state. At Ohio State, every “M” on campus is covered with a red “X” on Michigan week. Texas and Texas A&M renewed their rivalry last season in the Lone Star State. The stakes this and last season couldn’t be much higher.

Here it’s just about always been the regular season finale. Nothing more.

For decades Tulane often occupied the slot. I checked a few random years. Utah came down in 1976. Wyoming made the trip in 1977. East Carolina drew the assignment in 1985.

It wasn’t until the SEC expanded in 1992 that LSU was partnered with Arkansas on Thanksgiving weekend. That held until 2013 when Texas A&M was two years removed from its Thanksgiving Night Big 12 finale with Texas.

The Aggies and Tigers tangled on or around Thanksgiving for a decade.

The last two years it’s been Oklahoma, and Saturday will close this chapter because the Tigers and Sooners don’t play next year.

I could have gotten on board with an annual season-ending matchup between two tradition-rich programs looking for a partner. If Oklahoma isn’t going to play Bedlam with their neighboring Cowboys, LSU makes as much sense as any conference rival.

The Tigers and Sooners battled for a title in January 2004 and December 2019. They’ve produced five Heisman winners and five No. 1 overall draft picks combined in the last 25 years.

The venues, uniforms, brands and trophy shelves are about equal dating back a quarter century. Plus, Norman to Shreveport is almost the identical distance from Shreveport to Fayetteville. Tack on an extra three hours for Lafayette and Baton Rouge. It’s doable.

But it won’t be done.

LSU and Arkansas are “annual opponents” for the next four seasons, and reports are that those matchups are expected to come in the regular season’s final weekend.

That’s perfectly fine. LSU’s program is a couple of notches above Arkansas. The Tigers have won 9-of-10 against the Hogs who have never won an SEC title in 33 seasons in the league. But the states share a border, and the rivalry has produced some indelible moments over the years.

It’s a reasonable solution to what is more of a scheduling inconvenience than a problem. In fact, LSU’s lack of an in-state rival is a massive advantage for a program nestled in one of most fertile recruiting grounds in the country.

The bigger concern is the fact that this will be the third straight season finale without significant postseason implications. LSU has limped to the finish line under Brian Kelly. Now he’s gone, and the reality is that a new coach could be at the podium in Baton Rouge within the week.

His expectation will be to compete for a spot in the 12-team playoff far more often than he doesn’t. That means 9-2 needs to be the standard when the turkeys hit the table across Louisiana.

Tulane, Wyoming, Utah, A&M or Arkansas.

It doesn’t matter who LSU plays in the finale. LSU’s season finale just has to matter.