Lane Kiffin calls the end of the annual LSU-Alabama game 'sad' and says it comes down to money

Lane Kiffin doesn't like where LSU-Alabama is headed, and he said so Monday.

The Tigers and Crimson Tide have played every year since 1964. That streak ends after Saturday's game in Baton Rouge, because the SEC did not make it a permanent rivalry when the league moved to nine conference games. LSU and Alabama won't play in 2027, will meet in 2028 and will play at least once every two years after that, ESPN's Alex Scarborough reported.

"I think that's just sad," Kiffin said. "And I understand, so I'm not being critical. All the decisions, usually, I think all of them probably really come down to money, whether that's the realignments, whether that's the rivalries."

He kept going. "There's really good things that have changed in college football over the years, but there's also a lot that I think myself and a lot of people wish that they were the way that they were, rivalries and conferences the same," Kiffin said. "And so unfortunately it's where we are that really doesn't seem like much is going to be protected when it comes to TV contracts and money and other people's ideas."

He has a point. LSU's three permanent opponents are Texas A&M, Arkansas and Ole Miss. Alabama got Auburn, Tennessee and Mississippi State. Alabama's two historic rivals made the cut, and Mississippi State is about 90 miles away. LSU, which doesn't have an in-state rival on Alabama's level, loses the game that has so often shaped the SEC and national title races.

Kiffin has a personal stake in this one too. He was Alabama's offensive coordinator under Nick Saban from 2014 to 2016, and Saturday is his first game against the Tide as LSU's coach, with No. 9 Alabama visiting No. 15 LSU. Both are 6-2.

He also isn't happy about the kickoff. The game is at 2:30 p.m. local time, 3:30 ET, on ABC, instead of the night slot Tiger Stadium is known for. Kiffin said on last week's SEC teleconference that he was "shocked," and joked that the SEC might have wanted to "give LSU less of an advantage." His advice to fans this week, per Tiger Rag: "Start drinking earlier."

What's next: No. 9 Alabama at No. 15 LSU, Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC. After that, the next meeting is in 2028 in Tuscaloosa.