What makes a rivalry?

There’s not much that gets a fan’s blood boiling more than being told their side doesn’t matter in a heated rivalry. As a lifelong Arkansas Razorbacks fan, I’ve experienced this firsthand. Because until recently, Hog fans always had to hear that LSU and its fans didn’t take the Battle for the Golden Boot very seriously. In other words, the Tigers didn’t view us as a rival at all, much less a divisional threat.

And for a long time, it seemed like a majority of college football analysts around the country felt the same way. Over the last decade or so, the Arkansas-LSU game didn’t receive near as much hype as some of the more famous rivalries in college football. Matchups like Texas-Oklahoma, Oklahoma-Oklahoma State, UCLA-USC, Pittsburgh-West Virginia, Oregon-Oregon State, Florida-Florida State, Clemson-South Carolina, and Georgia-Georgia Tech always seemed to get top billing over our game. For obvious reasons, it might be a long time before Arkansas-LSU is on par with the Red River Rivalry or UCLA-USC, but thanks to a resurgence by the Razorbacks, who currently lead the series 3-2 over the last five meetings (as compared to LSU who led 4-1 in the previous five meetings), the Battle for the Golden Boot is finally gaining a reputation as a big-time rivalry.

Then why do so many Razorback fans still feel like this matchup is getting sidestepped by the national media?

One reason for the lack of enthusiasm on the national stage stems from a lack of historical perspective. To casual fans, and likely for even some diehard fans of each school, the rivalry seems too fabricated, artificial even. After all, Arkansas hasn’t always been in the Southeastern Conference. While LSU was a charter member, the Hogs didn’t join until the 1992 season. And for the NCAA to create a “battle,” seemingly out of thin air, was probably a little hard for fans to swallow.

But the Arkansas-LSU rivalry actually predates the creation of the Battle for the Golden Boot (1996), and even Arkansas joining the SEC West. In fact, LSU is Arkansas’ oldest SEC opponent, with meetings dating back over 100 years. The Hogs and Tigers first met in 1901 in Baton Rouge, La., with LSU winning in a shutout, 15-0. Starting in 1906, the series became somewhat official, and over the next three decades, the two squads met every year (sans 1918), usually in Shreveport, La.

By the end of the 1930s, the rivalry had cooled somewhat. And how could it not – LSU was a perfect 7-0 to start the decade. A 19-7 win by LSU in 1936 would effectively shut down the rivalry for the next 10 years, and the teams wouldn’t meet again until the 1947 Cotton Bowl. Over the next 45 years, Arkansas and LSU met intermittently, despite attempts to revive the rivalry in the 1950s, playing four times between 1953-56.

The most famous meeting during this semi-hiatus was at another Cotton Bowl showdown, this time in 1966. Heading into the game, Arkansas was coming off its first (and so far, only) national championship season, ranked No.2 in the country, and a perfect 22-0 dating back over the last two years.  At 7-3 (3-3 SEC), unranked LSU had clawed its way through a stacked SEC. Ranked as high as No. 5 earlier in the season, slip ups at Ole Miss and against No. 5 Alabama late in the season derailed the Tigers’ conference title hopes. But after a 62-0 victory over long time in-state rival Tulane to end the regular season, LSU earned a berth in the Cotton Bowl, and the Tigers looked ready to duke it out with Arkansas in Dallas.

Unlike the ’47 Cotton Bowl, this one wasn’t marred by an ice storm, but the scoring was still kept to a minimum thanks to two solid defenses. In ’65 Arkansas gave up just over 10 points per game (10.7 ppg) while LSU had kept opponents slightly under 15 points per game (14.9 ppg). And in Dallas, all the scoring would be done in the first half.

The Hogs struck quickly, and on their second possession, scored a touchdown after an 87-yard drive. Arkansas quarterback Jon Brittenum (’65 – 1,103 yards, 8 TDs, 7 INTs) hadn’t been that sharp during the regular season, but against LSU, he looked like an All-American, guiding the Hogs down the field for a score in only 11 plays, passing for the Razorbacks’ only score of the game.

Held scoreless for the first quarter, the Tigers went on the offensive, scoring all of their 14 points in the second quarter. A powerful ground game from LSU running backs Joe Labruzzo (’65 – 509 yards, 3 rushing TDs, 2 rec. TDs) and Jim Dousay (’65 – 326 yards, 8 TDs) kept the Hogs’ defense on their heels and the clock running. LSU’s first score came after a more than eight minute drive, which culminated in Labruzzo taking the ball into the endzone on a three-yard carry. On its next possession, Arkansas’ Brittenum suffered a shoulder injury and had to leave the game, relinquishing his position to sophomore backup Ronnie South (who also doubled as the team’s kicker). On South’s first possession, he fumbled the ball and it was recovered by LSU, leading to another Tiger score from Labruzzo just before the end of the half.

Despite having all the momentum heading into the second half, LSU struggled mightily. The Tigers didn’t even manage a first down in the third quarter. But even with Brittenum’s return, the Hogs couldn’t muster much offense themselves, and twice came away with no score after moving into LSU territory. The game remained gridlocked the rest of the way, with each team’s drive stalling after only a few successful plays. The proverbial nail in the coffin came late in the fourth quarter. With Arkansas driving for the tie, LSU intercepted Brittenum in the redzone, effectively sealing the Hogs’ fate and clinching one of the decade’s most surprising upsets. The victory ended the longest winning streak in college football that year (22 games) and propelled LSU all the way to No. 8 in the season’s final polls. And the loss stung deep for the Hogs, as it kept them from a potential second consecutive national championship.

So, I think fans can agree that there is ample history between these schools. But what about the numbers? What’s the hard data say about the rivalry? People are always quick to reference the old adage that “stats don’t lie,” but the numbers don’t always tell the whole story.

For example, Arkansas and LSU have played more than 50 times, and the Tigers lead the all-time series 35-20-2. Thanks to a big winning streak between 1930-1966 (when LSU went 12-0-1), and another 4-0 run between 2003-06, the Tigers have established a pretty big lead in the rivalry. But that doesn’t make the game any less intense, especially since the last few matchups have had serious bowl implications. And when compared to the aforementioned rivalries, Arkansas-LSU is actually more competitive or just about average:

(Labeled in descending order by number of meetings)

Oregon vs. Oregon State – The Civil War

Meetings:     115

First met:     1894   

Trophy:         The Platypus Trophy

Standings:   Oregon leads 59-46-10

Clemson vs. South Carolina – The Palmetto Bowl

Meetings:     109

First met:     1896

Trophy:         Hardee’s Trophy

Standings:   Clemson leads 65-40-4

Georgia vs. Georgia Tech – Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate

Meetings:     106

First met:     1893

Trophy:         N/A

Standings:   Georgia leads 62-39-5

Oklahoma vs. Oklahoma State – Bedlam

Meetings:     106

First met:     1904
Trophy:         A crystal “Bedlam Bell”

Standings:   Oklahoma leads 82-17-7

Oklahoma vs. Texas – The Red River Rivalry (previously known as The Red River Shootout)

Meetings:     106

First met:     1900

Trophy:         The Golden Hat

Standings:   Texas leads 59-42-5

Pittsburg vs. West Virginia – The Backyard Brawl

Meetings:     104

First met:     1895

Trophy:         N/A

Standings:   Pitt leads 61-40-3

UCLA vs. USC – Various names

Meetings:     81

First met:     1929

Trophy:         Victory Bell

Standings:   USC leads 46-28-7

Arkansas vs. LSU – The Battle for the Golden Boot

Meetings:     57

First met:     1901

Trophy:         The Golden Boot

Standings:   LSU leads 35-20-2

Florida vs. Florida State

Meetings:     56

First met:     1958

Trophy:         N/A

Standings:   Florida leads 33-21-2

Look at the standings in the Bedlam Series again. Can we really rely on those numbers to tell the complete story? Oklahoma State doesn’t even appear to be from the same conference as Oklahoma, let alone the same state. The Sooners’ 65 game lead over the Cowboys is by far the widest disparity on this list, but don’t tell the fans in Stillwater, Okla., that the yearly meeting with Oklahoma doesn’t matter. For historical reference, the rivalry between these two schools has extended well past the boundary lines of a football field.

I was also somewhat shocked to see that the rivalry between Florida and Florida State was younger than I thought. From the way it’s promoted, it sure seems like they’ve been playing since college football was invented. And if you want to get technical, rivalries like the Army-Navy game are much closer (56-49-7, in Navy’s favor) than anything listed above. Even the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party has been pretty competitive, even with all the discrepancies.

To put it simply, the Arkansas-LSU game needs more attention. The fans deserve it, the history demands it, and the current atmosphere in college football will benefit from it. The last 10 battles for the Golden Boot have featured at least one Top 5 team all but four years, and only once was neither team ranked (2008). Last year, the matchup pitted the No. 1 team (LSU) against the No. 3 team (Arkansas), and the Tigers’ victory helped solidify their chances of playing for a national championship, despite not even having won the SEC Championship game yet.

A little boost in fanfare surrounding next year’s Battle for the Golden Boot certainly wouldn’t hurt. LSU’s 41-14 blowout win last year was somewhat of an anomaly in what’s usually a tight game. Between 2005-10, the winning team was separated by just 2.5 points. And if the NCAA really wants to improve the game for people watching at home, it would sell the rights to someone besides CBS, so fans wouldn’t have to hear Verne Lundquist and Gary Danielson call the game anymore.