Lane Kiffin isn't happy that his first rivalry game in Baton Rouge against the Crimson Tide will be his last for a while.

The Tigers head coach, speaking on Monday ahead of No. 15 LSU's battle against No. 9 Alabama this weekend, is sad that the protected rivalry between the two SEC West schools is coming to an end. Alabama and LSU won't play each other next season, as the SEC didn't designate it a permanent rivalry when the league moved to a nine-game conference schedule.

Instead, LSU and Alabama will take 2027 off. They will then play each other in 2028, and at least once every two years after that.

"I think that's just sad," Kiffin said Monday, via ESPN. "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. So, I think it's all sad in general in the big picture of things that money drives to make [changes to] such great traditions and rivalries.

"And 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. 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."

LSU and Alabama have played each other every season since 1964. But the rivalry has undoubtedly grown in popularity in the last few decades, especially after Nick Saban opted to jump to lead Alabama years after taking LSU to a national championship. Saban, of course, spent two seasons with the Miami Dolphins in the NFL between stops.

The SEC gave each school three permanent rivals. Alabama got Auburn, Mississippi State and Tennessee. Mississippi State sits just roughly 90 miles from Alabama's campus, and the Crimson Tide's battles with Auburn and Tennessee are some of the best rivalry games in all of college football each season. Their protected rivalry games make sense, even if it leaves LSU out.

The Tigers, meanwhile, got Texas A&M, Arkansas and Ole Miss.

Even though it's ending, this weekend's battle in Baton Rouge will be an important one for both programs. They've both already lost twice this season, so a win is critical to remain on track for a College Football Playoff berth. LSU still has No. 10 Texas and No. 16 Tennessee on the schedule, too.

Saturday's contest will kick off at 2:30 p.m. local time, marking the first time that the Alabama-LSU game was held out of the night slot since 2019. Kiffin wasn't happy with the SEC over that decision, either.

"I was like, well if someone thinks the SEC wants us to win this year after what's been going on, they must have been on Mars the last four months," he joked last month. "So I guess when I look at it that way, I'm not surprised."

Source: Yahoo Sports