Enlarge By Kevin C. Cox, Getty Images For LSU, the rivalry with Alabama is bigger than just a win or a loss. The two teams will play each other for the fourth consecutive season and both teams still have a shot at the SEC West title. CAMPUS RIVALRY CAMPUS RIVALRY Get the latest news and buzz from the world of college football in Campus Rivalry. READ THE LATEST POSTS READ THE LATEST POSTS Read all posts Whereas Alabama usually has been on equal footing over the past few decades with in-state rival Auburn and border combatant Tennessee, LSU has been on a virtually rival-less island. The Tigers no longer play in-state Tulane annually after that series lost its luster when the Green Wave failed to win from 1983 to '96. The Mississippi rivalry was meaningful in the 1950s and '60s. BIG EAST: Two more schools coming to the conference BIG 12: Texas needs two more wins to qualify for postseason play The Southeastern Conference even threw in a trophy for the LSU-Arkansas game after the Razorbacks joined the SEC in 1992. But "The Boot" has not exactly made the blood boil between border schools that seem more like casual neighbors. The only opponent that really gets LSU seeing red is Alabama. "It's a rivalry," LSU sophomore cornerback Morris Claiborne said. "Everyone's going to be there. We've lost two in a row to them. In my eyes, it's just bigger than the others. I haven't been around much, but since I've been here I've been hearing the talk and people pumping it up." This game has been highlighted on LSU's calendar since the spring. "We circled that one on the schedule," Tigers tailback Stevan Ridley said. "We definitely want that win. I don't think we need any more motivation. We've lost to Alabama two straight years now. We're going out there with something on our mind and on a mission to beat 'Bama. Oh yeah, definitely, Alabama's our rivalry. You know your big games. It's like the holidays. When a holiday's coming up, you get nervous and you get excited." LSU and Alabama will meet for the fourth consecutive season with each still in range of an SEC West title. "They've really had probably as good of a run as anybody in the last eight to 10 years," said Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban, who is 2-1 against LSU with Alabama. "This is one of the premier programs in our league. That's what we aspire to try to be." LSU won the national title in the 2007 season. Alabama won it last season. "Whenever you line up against Alabama, it's a big game. Let's prepare well so we can let it rip and let our best team present itself," said Tigers coach Les Miles, who is 3-2 vs. Alabama with LSU. "When you hear Alabama, you think of championships," LSU guard Josh Dworaczyk said. "I remember getting recruited by them. The letters all said how many championships they won. Historically, they have great teams and championship teams. But no, I didn't want to go there. As far as the recent rivalry with LSU, there's been a lot of great games. It's always the game for LSU." Despite back-to-back losses to the Tide, LSU remains amid its greatest run in the Alabama series at 7-3 since 2000. Alabama used to make Louisiana a red state and still leads 24-6-2 in Tiger Stadium, which usually is tough on opponents. Alabama coach Paul "Bear" Bryant won 11 in a row vs. LSU from 1871 to '81 and was 16-4 while with the Tide. From 1971 to '98, Alabama was 14-0-1 in Tiger Stadium. "For my grandfather, the big game was always Tulane. But that was a long time ago," LSU center Bobby "T-Bob" Hebert said of Bobby Hebert Sr. "The Alabama game was always real big, but he doesn't talk about it a lot because they could never beat Alabama back then. I think for people now, the game is the Alabama game." LSU did not begin beating Alabama regularly until Saban became the Tigers' coach in 2000. The first win against the Tide in Tiger Stadium since 1971 was that season, and Saban finished 4-1 vs. Alabama — the best by an LSU coach against the Tide. But Saban left a season after the 2003 national title for the NFL, only to return to college at Alabama in 2007. Saban resurfacing at Alabama three years after leaving LSU did more to energize the Tigers-Tide rivalry than any boot could ever do for Arkansas-LSU. Saban was hung in effigy at an apartment complex near LSU for a pep rally the night before the game two years ago. "People are still going off the Nick Saban-Les Miles thing," LSU quarterback Jordan Jefferson said. "We got a national championship a few years ago. They got one last year," Ridley said. "The Saban-Miles thing fuels the fire." Miles said he disagreed, but he was the one who called out the Alabama program a month after Saban became coach in January 2007. At the annual Bayou Bash recruiting party that February, Miles said, "We have a new rival in (expletive) Alabama," as a few thousand fans roared. After Saban lost to LSU and to Louisiana-Monroe in the 2007 season, Miles joked at a speaking stop the following summer that Alabama couldn't beat Louisiana schools. Saban has not publicly taken shots at Miles and usually praises him, though many credit Saban's recruiting and imprint on LSU's program for Miles' 34-6 record (19-5 SEC) over his first three seasons. That dipped to 17-9 (8-8) over the past two seasons after Saban's recruits exited. "Les has done a fantastic job there," Saban said. "His record speaks for itself in terms of what he's been able to accomplish. They continue to recruit well. They've got good players. They've got a great staff. They do a really good job of developing their players." Miles took a high road this week, too. "I've never really looked at this game as being about the coaches," he said. "I have great respect for Coach Saban, felt like and feel like he's done a great job. I really think it's about LSU and Alabama's players and taking it to the field and playing an aggressive, college game that's going to be noteworthy. I'm not focused on in any way on comparisons between myself and Coach Saban." Ridley said he saw a difference in Miles during Alabama weeks, though. "He really gets fired up," he said. "It's a big game for everybody. It's big for the fans. It's big for the coaches. It's big for us. Every inch, we're going to battle." We've updated the Conversation Guidelines. Changes include a brief review of the moderation process and an explanation on how to use the "Report Abuse" button. Read more