All-Access: Ed Orgeron of LSA is better off than Nick Saban of Alabama



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If the current game between Alabama and LSU looks like an accumulation outside of the week, get ready for an instant classic.

James Carville was the opening act of LSU's absurd theater when he accused the SEC of collaborating with Alabama to give Crimson Tide an edge over LSU. This detachment of reality has led LSU fans to raise funds for a #FreeDevinWhite display campaign in Birmingham.

On Friday night LSU coach Ed Orgeron crashed in the Alabama night as he watched the Thompson High School win 63-49 over Hewitt-Trussville. The game featured Alabama shorts (Taulia Tagovailoa for Thompson and Paul Tyson for Hewitt-Trussville). The next day, LSU fans sported a #FreeDevinWhite airplane banner over Jacksonville's TIAA Bank Field prior to the Florida-Georgia match.

Alabama is one of the favorites for Saturday's game in Baton Rouge, with 14.5 points, but the surprises of LSU were dominant over the weekend. The 2011 match between No. 1 Alabama and No. 2 LSU was dubbed the "Game of the Century". This year we experienced Strangeness Week before No. 1 Alabama (8-0, 5-0) and No. 4 LSU (7-1, 4-1).

Do you want to have your mind really blown away, though? It did not have to be distracted to get my attention on this game. Just a simple statistic.

Since being named LSU's permanent head coach, Ed Orgeron's teams have been 10-3 against the SEC competition. Nick Saban started 9-4 at the SEC when he took office in Alabama.

This is true. Orgeron has a better start at LSU than Saban in Alabama.

Percentage of victories of Orgeron in his first 13 games in the SEC with LSU: 76.9.

Saban's winning percentage in his first 13 games with the SEC in Alabama: 69.2.

In 2008, Saban began his second season in Alabama 5-0 at the SEC before joining LSU and defeating the Miles Tigers 27-21 in overtime. Orgeron is 4-1 at the SEC this season. LSU lost to Florida, but bounced back with a 36-16 defeat from Georgia, then No. 2.

And how is this a coincidence? In the second season of Saban, his first win at the SEC was a 41-30 win on the road against Georgia.

If it's not already done, it's time to start considering Orgeron as one of the best football coaches in the country. He deserved this distinction.

A win against Saban in Alabama on Saturday would make Orgeron the most popular coach in the country after the start of the season in the hot seat.

This season, LSU is a more experienced team than Alabama and it is not debatable. The Tigers are 4-1 against the top 25 teams. The most recent win is last Saturday against No. 22 Mississippi. Alabama only played one ranked opponent, then beating the No.22 Texas A & M 45-23. Texas A & M sank against Mississippi State 28-13 on Saturday.

Alabama # 1 at LSU # 4 is not nearly as important as 2011's "Game of the Century", but it's by far the most anticipated game of this college football season.

It's early, though. It's just Monday. ESPN College GameDay did not even arrive in Louisiana. There is still a lot of time for pre-match madness in Baton Rouge.

Joseph Goodman is a columnist for the Alabama Media Group. He is on Twitter @ JoeGoodman. His live All-Access chat starts at 10 am on Monday morning.

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