Lane Kiffin Jokes SEC Cut LSU’s Night Edge With 2:30 Alabama Kickoff

• Lane Kiffin said Wednesday that anyone who thinks the SEC wants LSU to win this year “must have just been on Mars the last four months.”
• The SEC set LSU against Alabama for 2:30 p.m. local time on Nov. 7, and the last Alabama game in Baton Rouge not played at night came in 2010, per CBS Sports.
• LSU is 1-6 in its last seven night home games against Alabama, and both teams are 6-2 and off this week.

LSU’s Night Edge Against Alabama Has Produced One Win in Seven

Lane Kiffin did not hide his reaction to the kickoff time for LSU’s game with Alabama. “I was like, well, if someone thinks the SEC wants us to win this year after what’s been going on, they must have just been on Mars the last four months,” the LSU coach said at his Wednesday press conference.

The SEC had just set Alabama at LSU for 2:30 p.m. local time on Nov. 7. Kiffin had expected a night game in Baton Rouge. He said he was surprised at first, and then not surprised once he thought about the league’s legal fight with his school.

A Game Kiffin Assumed Would Be at Night

Kiffin told reporters that the afternoon slot never crossed his mind. “I never even considered that it wouldn’t be at night.” He pointed to the history of the game in Tiger Stadium. “Especially in 16 years, this game has been at night here all the time.” The last Alabama game in Baton Rouge that was not played at night came in 2010.

Kiffin said he joked with Michael Bonnette, LSU’s sports information director, that the SEC wanted to give LSU less of an advantage, given how well the Tigers play at night and how intimidating the stadium is after dark. He said it would not shock him if the league office is trying to punish him.

Ole Miss, Kiffin’s former employer, received the primetime slot for its home game against Georgia. Public criticism has carried a price elsewhere in sport: the Football Association fined Manchester City midfielder Rodri £80,000 earlier this year over his comments about refereeing.

What the Night Record Shows

The night slot has not carried LSU past Alabama. The Tigers have hosted the Crimson Tide at night every other year from 2012 on, and they are 1-6 in the last seven of those games. Alabama won 21-17 in 2012, 20-13 in 2014, 10-0 in 2016, 29-0 in 2018, 55-17 in 2020 and 42-13 in 2024. LSU’s lone win in the run was 32-31 in 2022.

The last time the teams kicked off at 3:30 p.m. ET was 2019, at Bryant-Denny Stadium, when No. 2 LSU with quarterback Joe Burrow met No. 3 Alabama with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.

The Legal Fight Behind the Joke

Kiffin’s remark lands in the middle of a dispute between his school and the league. The SEC has sued LSU in federal court over the school’s attempt to roster Dae’Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris, who had been in NFL training camps. SEC commissioner Greg Sankey’s league has argued in court that the dispute extends to LSU men’s basketball.

The SEC accused LSU of trying to “flout” its rules by fighting for RJ Luis Jr. to be eligible, and the league described expulsion as a “very real threat” to the school. In soccer this month, Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez faced a reported club fine after criticizing the club’s leadership in public.

Where Both Teams Stand

As of Wednesday, Oct. 28, LSU is 6-2 overall and 3-2 in the SEC, with losses at Ole Miss and Kentucky. The Tigers have won two straight, 31-0 over Mississippi State on Oct. 17 and 38-17 over Auburn last week, and they are on a bye in Week 9. Alabama is also 6-2 and stands 4-2 in the SEC. The Crimson Tide beat Texas A&M 31-20 in Week 8 to end a two-game losing streak, and they have the weekend off too.

Both teams will rest before they meet in Baton Rouge on Nov. 7 at 2:30 p.m. local time. LSU will try to beat Alabama at home in daylight, after one win in its last seven night meetings there.