Okay, what is wrong with LSU? See, we understand. Sometimes, fans love watching their animal mascots on the turf. More so during very important showdowns between top teams, but do people tend to forget the amount of risk and danger this brings in? Let’s go back in time. Remember the 2019 Sugar Bowl showdown between the Longhorns and the Bulldogs? Yeah, Bevo was behind some barricade, and the staff thought it’d be a great idea to take Uga over there to meet with Bevo. What happened? Bevo charged at Uga, breaking through the barricade. Right now, LSU is planning on bringing out its mascot, but it is NOT a good idea.

Back on r/LSUFootball subreddit, a user shared, “LSU is planning on having a live tiger from out of state to be on the field for this weekend’s game with over 100,000 in attendance.” The worst part about this entire debacle is the fact that the owner of the tiger was previously charged with animal abuse: MULTIPLE TIMES. Students who are part of the Wildlife Students at LSU have already started a petition to stop this act from coming to life. See, bringing a tiger into an environment which can hit 100+ decibels is not a good plan. It places the animal in a hostile environment, which can lead to stress and other issues.

LSU tiger petition
byu/Jen-benz inLSUFootball

And we haven’t even counted on the chaos that generally happens inside a stadium. See, the LSU vs Bama game ain’t a joke. Bama is coming off of its massive win against Mizzou, and LSU is coming off of its loss against Aggies. This game will single-handedly decide which team can land in the playoffs, and that should give you an idea of the number of people who will be at the Tiger Stadium.

It’s kind of wild that something like this is even allowed to happen when, back in 2016, a tradition like this was discontinued after animal rights organizations pointed out the clear inhumanity. The petition clarified that the LSU veterinary school spokeswoman had previously stated, “not in discussions to bring Mike.”

However, Governor Jeff Landry is allegedly the one trying to override this entire decision by bringing in a different tiger instead of Mike. As we pointed out before, the owner of the tiger has been charged by the USDA for their inability to meet the minimum standards established in the Animal Welfare Act. The petition currently has 3,544 out of the 5,000 required. While we wait for a final decision, why not switch to what we can expect from the game?

Alabama Crimson Tide vs LSU Tigers

Okay, so this is it. Bama is in the 11th spot on the CFP list, and LSU is close behind in the 15th spot. This game will decide if any of the 2 can crack it into the top 10 or not. After watching the tape from the Tigers vs Aggies and Bama vs Mizzou games, there are certain things you have to keep in mind for this showdown.

For Bama, it looks like the team is finally snapping back into its former self. Kalen DeBoer is slowly adopting Nick Saban‘s techniques and moving on from his usual calm demeanor. This worked magic for him against Mizzou and we could end up seeing the same results against LSU. The saving grace for Bama would be their defensive line under Kane Wommack. These dudes were on point with the interceptions and turnovers for the offense. They barely let Mizzou play out their pass-and-run game.

However, the concerning factor for DeBoer and Co. would be Jalen Milroe. Out of all the QBs this season, Milroe has been one of the guys who has consistently performed poor. This fall from grace started happening after the second half during the Dawgs game. The Vandy and Vols showdown solidified the fact that Milroe needed some time off. With the bye week, Bama fans can only pray that their starting QB is back in shape.

Now, this brings us to LSU. Brian Kelly is also dealing with the same issues that DeBoer is facing: QB worries. Garrett Nussmeier has been an on-and-off dude on the turf. In some games, he had made exception plays, and then in others, he was bad. Take the Aggies game as an example. Nussmeier’s performance was all over the place. The rush game from LSU was nonexistent, and Nussmeier throwing 3 interceptions did not help the cause. This game will be a shot at redemption for both teams, and only time will tell who truly comes out on top.