Orgeron, LSU not bothered as underdogs

Published 6:00 pm Tuesday, October 31, 2017

BATON ROUGE — It probably wouldn’t be a good look for a high-profile college coach anyway. But evidently LSU’s Ed Orgeron doesn’t have a bookie on speed dial.

So as the Tigers opened work for this week’s game at No. 1 Alabama, Orgeron was not aware that LSU is listed as a 21.5-point underdog against the Tide this week.

Or at least he pled ignorance during his weekly press luncheon.

“First I’ve heard of it,” he said when it was brought up. “Thanks for telling me. That don’t mean anything to us.”

But it is significant.

It’s by far the biggest underdog LSU has been for a game this century, according to The Advocate of Baton Rouge, and the biggest since 1994 when the Tigers were a 27-point underdog at Florida, a game an eventual 4-7 LSU team lost 42-18.

Still, since current Alabama coach Nick Saban took over the LSU job for the 2000 season, only twice before have the Tigers even been a double-digit underdog —  14.5 against Florida in 2000 and 14 against the Gators in 2001.

Those didn’t turn out well — LSU lost the first 41-9 and the latter 44-15.

But Orgeron apparently prefers to remember that the game will be decided in Tuscaloosa Saturday night rather than in Las Vegas where the point spreads are dickered out.

“It’s the way you play the game,” he said, recalling that the Tigers were chided for only beating Syracuse 35-26.

“Syracuse didn’t listen to that when they played (and upset then-No. 2) Clemson. It’s just the way you play the game. You can never tell.”

But it’s no surprise that few give the Tigers (6-2, 3-1 SEC) much chance against the Tide (8-0, 5-0), which is No. 1 in both polls and expected to add to it with the top spot in the first  College Football Playoff rankings which come out tonight.

After a week off with LSU’s open date, Orgeron had no trouble telling that something different was in the air this week with the Tide on the schedule.

He didn’t try to downplay it.

He’s well aware that LSU has lost six straight games to the Tide, a streak that began with the embarrassing 21-0 loss in the BCS national championship game following the 2011 season.

Conveniently, though, this is the proverbial “next game on the schedule” — so Orgeron didn’t have to act like it was any other week.

“Born and raised in Louisiana,” he laughed. “How can you not know that? I mean, this is the game. Everywhere I go, they talk about this. This is the game.”

He understands why LSU fans are obsessed with beating Alabama and frustrated at the dry spell since the 9-6 LSU win in the 2011 “Game of the Century.”

“Is it noticeable?” he said. “On the outside, yes. Not on the inside.

“Not for us. We take it one game at a time. We focus in on the task at hand. But I realize it’s out there, obviously. I realize the pressure to beat Alabama as the head coach here.

“But as far as factoring in every day, in the office? No.”

The danger, he said, was making too much of it.

“I’m not going to make it so huge that our players won’t be ready to play. We’re going to be ready to play. 

“I think this is huge for us in recruiting. I think this is huge because they have won the SEC. They have won national championships. They’re on top of the world right now. This is the benchmark.”