Lane Kiffin keeps saying the way to beat Alabama is to avoid mistakes. That’s true enough, but it doesn’t really capture what Saturday means for him.
This is Kiffin’s sixth crack at the Crimson Tide, and the history around it has become its own kind of obsession. Alabama has been the one opponent he has never solved, the team that keeps showing up in the worst possible way. Kiffin is 0-5 all-time against the Tide, and every loss has only made the chase look more relentless.
The whole thing reaches back to 2009, back to his lone season as Tennessee’s head coach, when Alabama won 12-10 and Terrence Cody’s two field-goal blocks became part of the Kiffin file forever. That game has lingered. So have the others.
In 2020, Alabama and Ole Miss turned into a track meet for the ages, with the Tide winning 63-48 in a game that set SEC records for combined points in a regulation game (111), most yards (1,370) and touchdowns (15). Then came the “Popcorn Game,” when Kiffin told Jamie Erdhal to “get your popcorn ready” before kickoff, only to watch his fourth-down decisions help Alabama roll to a 42-21 win.
Two years later, Ole Miss had Alabama in trouble with a 17-7 first-half lead. Kiffin just needed a few first downs, but he didn’t get them. Alabama ripped off 20 straight points behind Bryce Young and escaped with the win.
Then in 2023, Kiffin had one last shot at his mentor, Nick Saban, and Alabama’s defense shut the door again. Jaxson Dart was there.
The points weren’t. Alabama won 24-10.
The SEC kept Alabama off Ole Miss’ schedule in 2024 and 2025, and those were the Rebels’ best seasons since the early 1960s. That part hangs over this matchup too, because now Kiffin is back in the kind of game that has followed him for years.
Some say he left Ole Miss for the money. Some say it was power and glory. The story here says something simpler: he left because Alabama was still out there.
Now he gets another swing, this time with LSU backing him and a roster built to take down the Tide. LSU is favored and has looked like the best team in the SEC in recent weeks. If Kiffin is ever going to get this done, this is the moment.
There’s more than pride on the line, too. Seasons - and maybe jobs - are at stake. Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer is probably protected by his massive buyout of $67.5 million, but losing to Kiffin in his first year at LSU could still rattle even the steadiest Alabama boosters.
So the questions are all lined up: Can Alabama afford to fall behind Kiffin? Can Alabama offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb match Kiffin’s play-calling? Can Kiffin finally beat the one team that has defined so much of this pursuit?
Get your popcorn ready.
And sharpen your harpoons.
In Other News...
Alabama Fans Should Be Watching This Spain Park WR Closely
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Spain Park also made the cut, thanks to Barrett Price and quarterback Nash Davis, a tandem that has become worth tracking for more than just local bragging rights. Price has been actively recruiting and already has offers from multiple colleges, which makes his profile especially interesting for Alabama fans keeping tabs on in-state pass catchers and the next wave of offensive talent. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Faces A Brutal Road Test That Could Decide Everything
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Keelon Russell sits at the center of Alabamas hopes, while LSU brings a pass rush that can force a quarterback into hurried decisions and ugly mistakes. Add in the Tides issues with penalties and injuries, and the margin for error gets thin fast, especially against a rival that has made a habit of turning high-stakes games into pressure cookers. [Read more 🡒]
Shaun Alexander Revealed What Made Alabama The Right Fit
Shaun Alexanders path to Alabama was shaped long before he became one of the programs most recognizable stars, and he recently revisited that decision while talking through his recruitment on a podcast. The former Crimson Tide standout said Alabama stood out to him for the way the program carried itself, pointing to the leadership and integrity he saw in Tuscaloosa as the qualities that made it feel like the right place.
Alexander also had strong connections elsewhere during that recruiting stretch, with friendships that included Charles Woodson and Randy Moss, which helped make the process more personal than purely football-driven. Even so, Alabama ultimately won out, and Alexander made clear that the decision came down to more than just fit on the field, with Michigan lingering as the school that came closest to changing his path. [Read more 🡒]