Origins of Apathy: LSU Has Not Won a Big Game in Three Years

Since the topic du jour appears to be the listless state of the fanbase, I thought I would advance my own theory.

I believe the fanbase is lethargic because we haven't won a big game in three seasons. LSU has had multiple opportunities to prove that it still belongs in the elite echelon of college football and it has failed each and every time:

2008 Florida game - Nationally televised night game on CBS. LSU gets blown out in large part due to its ludicrously porous defense:

2008 UGA game - Nationally televised CBS game in Tiger Stadium against a top ten opponent. LSU's atrocious defense yields fifty points in a loss;

2008 Bama game - Archrival Saban returns to Tiger Stadium with the number one ranking. Death Valley is in full throat. LSU chokes the game away.

2009 Florida - Undefeated LSU versues undefeated Florida in a nationally televised night game in Tiger Stadium. Number 1 versus Number 3. Optimal environment. The lubricated hordes don gold and thunder mightily at kickoff. Something special is in the offing. Then the offense takes the field. Torpor and dread result.

2009 Bama - Another opportunity to beat an undefeated Bama squad. Three quarters of brilliance followed by a fourth quarter collapse. Spirits sink as cramps, poor tackling angles, and a blind replay official kill LSU.

2010 Auburn - Undefeated LSU versus undefeated Auburn with the SEC West hanging in the balance. The defense is curiously passive. The offense is just...curious. LSU loses another heartbreaker, making it highly improbable that we will win the SEC West.

There are only so many times that a fanbase can whip itself into a frenzy. There are only so many times that Tiger Stadium can rise to Olympian heights. There are only so many disappointments a man can stand before he begins to distance himself from the wellspring of his sorrows. In the last two and a half seasons, LSU has had six chances to defeat Top 10 teams and reclaim its throne. The Tigers have come up short every single time. Combined with the clock management fiascos and the tiresome close calls against lesser opponents, it's really no wonder the fanbase is skeptical and leery.