Lane Kiffin shocked over kickoff time vs. Alabama, says SEC doesn't want LSU to win this year

LSU got a rare afternoon game against Alabama in Death Valley

Oct 28, 2026 at 5:01 pm ET • 2 min read

When the SEC announced kickoff times for its Nov. 7 games, there was some shock when Alabama vs. LSU was listed as a mid-afternoon game instead of a night game. Count Lane Kiffin amongst those who were surprised by that news.

"I never even considered that it wouldn't be at night," Kiffin said when asked about the kickoff time during Wednesday's teleconference.

For the last six seasons, the rivalry game between Alabama and LSU has been played at night. For the last time they didn't play at night in Baton Rouge, you'd have to go all the way back to 2010.

"I didn't even think to think about the time," Kiffin said. "I just assumed, especially since the last 16 years, this game has been at night here all the time. I guess that's probably naive of me."

The final twist of the knife was that Ole Miss, Kiffin's former employer, got the primetime slot for its home game against Georgia. In the wake of legal battles featuring Kiffin and LSU on one side and the SEC on the other, the LSU coach said it wouldn't shock him if the league office is trying to punish him.

"I was joking to [LSU SID Michael Bonnette] earlier, saying obviously the SEC wanted to change it from how it's been to give LSU less of an advantage because of how well LSU plays at night and how intimidating it is to play here," Kiffin said. "I was like, 'If someone thinks the SEC wants us to win this year after what's been going on, they must've just been on Mars the last four months.'

"I guess when I look at it that way, I'm not surprised."

While it is a little surprising that a likely top-15 matchup featuring two of the biggest brands in the SEC won't be played at night, it's not the first time this happened. Just look at the last time Alabama and LSU kicked off at 3:30 p.m. ET.

The year was 2019. Joe Burrow led No. 2 LSU into Bryant-Denny Stadium against Tua Tagovailoa and No. 3 Alabama. It was one of the most highly anticipated games of the 21st century, but it wasn't played under the lights in primetime.

LSU's nightmares vs. Alabama

Tiger Stadium is often ranked among the best atmospheres in college football, but that's especially true at night. Death Valley becomes a black hole for opponents' hopes and dreams.

That is, except for Alabama.

The Tigers have played the Crimson Tide at night in Baton Rouge every other year since 2012, and the results have been bad. LSU is 1-6 in its last seven night home games against Alabama, and many of those results have been lopsided.

So, night games in Tiger Stadium guarantee nothing for LSU when it comes to matchups against Alabama. I understand that this year's team is more talented than most -- if not all -- of the teams listed in the table above, but Death Valley will still provide an edge with an ear-splitting atmosphere in the late afternoon.

No matter what time this game is played, pressure will be on Kiffin to deliver a win, which could be the source of his frustration. LSU will have at least two losses on its resume, and losing to the Tide would make the team's College Football Playoff path extremely narrow.