LSU Football, Bowl Game

[LSUDad]

LSU's Scott Woodward says 'it's more than likely' the Tigers will play in a bowl game

 

 

 

LSU athletic director Scott Woodward on the field before kickoff against Alabama, Saturday, December 5, 2020, at LSU's Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, La. STAFF PHOTO BY HILARY SCHEINUK▲

BY BROOKS KUBENA | Staff writer

Dec 6, 2020 - 1:03 pm

 

There are still plenty of logistical hurdles standing in the way for LSU to finish its final two games of the regular season, but the team's Dec. 19 matchup against Ole Piss isn't expected to be its final game of the season.

LSU athletic director Scott Woodward said in a radio interview Saturday that he expects the Tigers will play in a bowl game this year.

In a normal year, this would be a strange expectation for LSU (3-5), a team that is veering toward its first losing season since 1999. But this year the NCAA waived the win requirement for bowl games, due to shortened seasons amid the coronavirus pandemic.

“It’s going to be a weird year, obviously," Woodward told WNXX-FM, 98.1 in a pre-game interview before LSU's 55-17 loss to Alabama. "It’s not going to be traditional like in years past. I think we will play in a bowl. The question is which bowl and how we’re going to do it and how we’re going to participate."

The bowl season is already complicated.

There have been 10 bowl cancellations since the pandemic began, including the Las Vegas Bowl, which was going to pair a Southeastern Conference team with a Pac-12 opponent.

Still, 34 bowl games remain. That total includes the six New Year's Six bowl games, plus the seven other bowl games that have SEC tie-ins:

• Liberty Bowl (SEC vs. Big 12)
• Outback Bowl (SEC vs ACC/Big Ten)
• Gator Bowl (SEC vs. ACC)
• Texas Bowl (SEC vs. Big 12)
• Birmingham Bowl (SEC vs. AAC)
• Music City Bowl (SEC vs. Big Ten)
• Citrus Bowl (SEC vs. Big Ten)

 

Since the SEC has four teams ranked within the top 10 in the College Football Playoff rankings, it's possible that each of those teams ends up in either the playoff or a New Year's Six bowl of some kind.

That would mean there'd be seven more bowl games available to SEC teams. Plenty room for LSU, which still sits above Arkansas (3-6), Mississippi State (2-6), Tennessee (2-6), South Carolina (2-8) and Vanderbilt (0-8) in the overall conference standings.

There'd still be plenty of things to sort out if LSU indeed played in a bowl game. Mostly, LSU would be taking on another logistical project to safely travel to and from a destination against a nonconference opponent.

There's no predicting just what kind of roster availability LSU would have for a bowl game. Even barring the health of the team, it's possible several players would opt out of any bowl game, as the NCAA allows players to do without penalty.

[Hatchertiger]

Saw LSU vs. Okie State in Texas bowl and vs. Iowa in the Outback and vs. Wake Forest in the Gator Bowl. All speculation at this point.  Whatever our last games is, sure hope we win it 

Edited December 7, 2020 by Hatchertiger

[LSUDad]

1 hour ago, Hatchertiger said:

Saw LSU vs. Okie State in Texas bowl and vs. Iowa in the Outback and vs. Wake Forest in the Gator Bowl. All speculation at this point.  Whatever our last games is, sure hope we win it 

Would like to make a trip somewhere! I need a vacation! 

[dachsie]

Kinda bizarre for him to say we would play in a bowl game right before announcing self imposed bowl ban penalty

[Nutriaitch]

3 hours ago, dachsie said:

Kinda bizarre for him to say we would play in a bowl game right before announcing self imposed bowl ban penalty

playing the politics game is all.

make it seem like we really wanted/needed that bowl.
that way when you impose the ban it looks like you are punishing yourself.