LSU AD jokes that Nick Saban 'regrets' he's not still at LSU

    Alabama coach Nick Saban hasn't lost to LSU since his team fell to the Tigers in November of 2011. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

    Maybe joking about what could have been for Nick Saban at LSU is what makes LSU fans feel better about Alabama’s recent success.

    LSU athletic director Scott Woodward mentioned Saban at a Baton Rouge Rotary Club appearance Wednesday afternoon and joked that Saban has “regrets” about not still being at LSU. Saban, who came to LSU from Michigan State ahead of the 2000 season, left LSU after the 2004 season for an ill-fated stint with the Miami Dolphins.

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    “This half a century there’s been three giants in the three major sports in the NCAA,” Woodward said. “Baseball, football and basketball, men’s basketball. [Former LSU baseball coach] Skip Bertman, Nick Saban and Mike Krzyzewski. Two of them were on our campuses in the early 2000s … giants. But that’s because of LSU. And that’s what attracts them here. And I know that there’s a guy in Alabama who has regrets that he’s not here today and shame on him. But we have one with a higher IQ that’s here today, so thank you.”

    Woodward’s line, clearly delivered with a tongue firmly in his cheek (we hope), drew the reaction that you would expect from an LSU-friendly crowd. And that’s good. At least there are some LSU fans that can laugh about what could have been with Saban. Because the victories his teams at Alabama have had over LSU aren’t that funny for most Tiger fans. And we’re pretty sure that while Saban may have regrets about his lack of success in the NFL, he doesn’t have any about picking Alabama.

    Saban has gone 146-21 since he took over at Alabama in 2007 and has won five national titles. His teams have at least tied for first in the SEC West in each of the seasons since LSU last won the division in 2011. And we all know what happened when LSU and Alabama met in the BCS Championship Game that season. That title win was the first of what’s now eight straight wins for the Tide over the Tigers.

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    Nick Bromberg is a writer for Yahoo Sports.

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