There’s no Allev-iating Florida’s win

Published 7:08 am Wednesday, October 12, 2016

For LSU and its whole conundrum with the vanished Florida game, the solution is really pretty simple: just go out and lose to Ole Miss next week, and then it really doesn’t matter.

Not to LSU, anyway.

Just revert to that stale, old offense, forget that Red Bull shot of energy from the Great Cajun Experiment at head coach, and go lay an egg at home for the Rebels.

Bunch Formation! Hotty Toddy.

See how easy that was.

Then LSU has a second conference loss and, even if it ends up beating Alabama and somehow tied with the Tide in the loss column, somebody — probably Texas A&M — will have done better and the missing game has no effect on the integrity of the SEC West standings.

Then on Nov. 19 — no questions asked —LSU can play that game with South Alabama (the Jaguars, I think they are) that fans have been clamoring for so expectantly.

Tennessee will still be hopping mad and spitting orange, particularly if it needs Florida to get a second SEC loss for the Vols’ head-to-head tiebreaker over the Gators to kick in.

But that’s the Vols’ problem. If this whole brouha is proving anything, it’s that the SEC isn’t such a one big happy family after all. The mascot world may come together and send LSU condolences for Mike VI’s sad passing Tuesday, but in the end, it’s every school for itself.

Florida did it last week. LSU is counterpunching this week.

What makes it all the more curious is that LSU Athletic Director Joe Alleva has decided that now is the time to get tough and play hardball.

LSU, he says (suddenly trying to slip into a John Wayne persona) is going to have a home game on Nov. 19, non-negotiable.

Well, good for you, Joe.

Of course, that highly complicates ever getting the game with Florida made up, but it apparently played well with the LSU masses.

LSU feels like it was wronged after making a host of concessions in suggestions to get the game played last week, and apparently wants to show the world that it can be stubborn too.

It’s a matter of principle — even if it means taking yourself out of the SEC West race.

Yes. Listen to what he’s saying. In effect, LSU fans are cheering that their athletic director wants to get tough, show the Florida and the SEC who’s boss … and all but eliminate the Tigers from the SEC race.

Oh, well, it was a decided long shot anyway.

If Florida got away with stonewalling everybody in getting the game played the weekend it was scheduled, then LSU, by golly, was going to play the same game with any attempts to get it made up.

Florida wanted everything in its favor to play it as scheduled. LSU wants the same deal with any makeup.

Good luck with that.

But Alleva lost me at “unless Alabama also plays a game that day.”

That was Alleva’s stipulation for possibly moving the Florida game to Oct. 29.

That’s LSU’s regularly scheduled open date, the week before the Alabama game. The Tide also traditionally have that date open.

Who, exactly, Alleva proposes for the Tide to play that day is anybody’s guess, but I guess it’s suddenly got to be clinically controlled conditions.

It’s not going to happen. That date is moot anyway. It would mean moving the Georgia-Florida game up a week for the World’s Largest Cocktail Party in Jacksonville. Georgia has no skin in this mess and doesn’t figure to cooperate.

It’s not going to happen.

I get it. LSU and Alleva already offered a host of concessions last week in a futile attempt to get the game in.

It didn’t work. Florida snookered him and the Southeastern Conference.

Side note: No, I don’t think Florida was dodging LSU, at least the players and head coach Jim McElwain weren’t.

But Athletic Director Jeremy Foley — who will be retired by the time the SEC standings are sorted out — surely had some reason to stonewall LSU’s good-faith efforts to jump through any hoops.

He won. Get over it.

LSU’s stance is to stand on principle.

Where was this steely resolve of “We’re going to have a home game” last year when, shortly after kickoff, lightning delayed the season opener well into the night. In that case, Alleva and LSU just flippantly decided to write McNeese a game-guarantee check to go home and not come back.

There were fairly simple solutions to get that game finished, too, mainly coming back the very next day.

This time, in lieu of Florida on Nov. 19, Alleva is proposing some outlandish solutions, such as changing the way the standings are figured (presumably to LSU’s benefit), even moving back the SEC championship game a week so Florida and LSU can play on Dec. 5 (which would also mean moving back the bowl and playoff team selections a week).

Who does he think he is, Florida?

Of course, the main problem with Florida in November is that LSU would then follow Alabama with three consecutive weeks on the road at Arkansas, Florida and Texas A&M, each nationally ranked, in 13 days.

Is it fair? Of course not.

It’s a mighty tough detour, fraught with peril. But if it’s the only road to get to Atlanta and the SEC championship game, you take it.

l

Scooter Hobbs covers LSU

athletics. Email him at

shobbs@americanpress.com