By james art 
With College Gameday picking LSU-Alabama as its Week 11 destination, it means a return to Baton Rouge for Nick Saban.
Perhaps no one is more familiar with this rivalry than Saban, who coached at LSU from 2000-2004 before building his dynasty at Alabama from 2007-2023. Saban led LSU to a national title in 2003 and added six more rings in Alabama.
He will be remembered for his time at Alabama, but Saban often speaks highly of his years in Baton Rouge.
Saban’s last public appearance in Baton Rouge was in 2022 — when Brian Kelly and Jaden Daniels upset Saban’s Crimson Tide squad.
Now that Saban is out of the sidelines, he’ll have the chance to evaluate LSU and Baton Rouge differently. I would expect Gameday to go for the plot, playing to the energy of the crowd.
Saban’s 48 wins at LSU rank fifth in program history. His .750 winning percentage ranks second, behind only Les Miles, among LSU coaches with two or more seasons.
LSU and Alabama have open weeks in Week 10, but the game is college football’s best Week 11 matchup.
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