College Football: 25 most underappreciated team rivalries of all time

13. Alabama Crimson Tide vs. LSU Tigers

The LSU Tigers and the Alabama Crimson Tide first played one another back in 1895. They continued to renew the matchup sporadically over the next 60 or so years until 1964.

Since that time, the two teams have faced off annually. Furthermore, the stakes have only been raised since both teams became part of the SEC West when divisions formed ahead of the 1992 NCAA season.

In recent memory, the biggest caricature of the rivalry has been the current Alabama head coach and former LSU head coach Nick Saban. Saban previously led the Tigers to a National Championship victory and LSU was dominant over the Tide while the head coach resided in Baton Rouge. Since Alabama hired Saban in 2007, though, they have ruled the rivalry, going 10-3 in this game over that span.

Alabama has been the victor more often than not in the rivalry, as well. The Crimson Tide are 53-25-5 over the 83 meetings between these two teams. That one-sidedness undoubtedly plays into the fact of why the rivalry is a bit underappreciated. It’s so much so in favor of Bama that it’s almost difficult to call it a rivalry.

While Saban’s presence keeps the rivalry alive, the biggest reason fans should always be invested in the two programs facing off is because of the quality of each. LSU and Alabama have both been ranked with at least one team ranked in the top five in their last 13 clashes. That type of quality in an annual matchup is rare and one that deserves plenty of notoriety.