I understand the frustration the people who run the university and root for LSU have over this entire Hurricane Matthew mess. I know it’s not a disaster the level of what this storm is causing and yes SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said, “keeping the safety and health of those affected in mind,” but the way this played out is pretty crappy for Louisiana State. By essentially canceling this game, the Tigers have been forced to forfeit the most precious commodity to have in the SEC: the ability to control your own destiny. If LSU wins out, there is still a chance they will not go to the SEC title game, even with only the one loss to Auburn. No sure we are talking about a team that lost to Auburn, but even still, controlling your own destiny means you have hope and it means your games matter until you lose. It is only fitting that this bizarre season for LSU is kind of being thwarted by a bizarro tie with the Florida Gators in a game they never even played.
So with the hurt and frustration over this tumultuous season being thrown into chaos even further by the devious Florida Gators, we also need to acknowledge that Florida’s administration, exiting A.D. Jeremy Foley in particular, played this hand brilliantly. This is exactly what the Gators wanted. Florida’s entire defensive line is banged up, the Gators have injuries on the offensive line, and we all know that even if he played this weekend, quarterback Luke Del Rio would most certainly have been less than 100%. Do not think for one second that Jim McElwain and Jeremy Foley didn’t take this into consideration. These men are not of the same ilk of a Coach O. They never planned to play in a hurricane or a cow pasture or in a Thunderdome. They don’t have boudin balls the size of LSU’s interim head coach. Florida dragged the rescheduling talks out purposefully and UF stalled and stalled until it was too late to move the game this weekend so that they dictated when and if this game gets played.
Speaking of being played, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey was played masterfully by Jeremy Foley. Allowing the negotiations to drag out and not having a clear contingency plan has the head of the Southeastern Conference looking like the biggest sucker of all of the suited up suckers. Sankey was unprepared and allowed UF to walk all over him and LSU. Now Florida holds all of the cards. Their chances of winning the SEC East, even after a devastating loss to Tennessee, have now increased. LSU’s chances have decreased. Florida avoided a loss versus the Tigers. They didn’t win, but that is fine by them.
I don’t blame you if your hatred for Florida has increased two-fold. They played this one like a bunch of classic chickens**t heels. Do not say they handled it terribly though, because in the grand scheme of things, it was the perfect way to handle this tough situation for them. LSU may have been accommodating in these situations in the past and maybe that is the good nature of the people in Louisiana, but in the SEC, being a good Samaritan gets you nowhere. In this conference, the Golden Rule is not “do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” in the SEC the golden rule is “you scratch my back and I’ll stab yours.”
– Alan Michael