LSU football wasn't able to finish the job in the Southeastern Conference for a Sugar Bowl bid, but they'll still land in familiar surroundings.
LSU is headed to the Citrus Bowl, a familiar spot for the Tigers. LSU has been to the Citrus bowl five times, most recently matching up with a Brian Kelly led Notre Dame squad in 2018.
Their SEC Championship foe Georgia was unsurprisingly given the top seed in the College Football Playoff, followed by Michigan, TCU and Ohio State.
Alabama will face off with Kansas State in the Sugar Bowl (New Orleans), while ACC champion Tulane faces off with USC in the Cotton Bowl (Arlington, Texas).
THE GAME | CITRUS BOWL
- Who: No. 16 LSU (9-4) vs. Purdue (8-5)
- When: Noon, Monday, Jan. 2
- Where: Camping World Stadium, Orlando, Florida
- TV: ABC
- Listen: WWL AM-870; FM-105.3 & the Audacy app
TOP PLAYERS
LSU: WR Malik Nabers has 854 yards receiving on 63 catches, including a team-high 128 on five receptions in the SEC title game.
Purdue: QB Aiden O’Connell, a sixth-year senior, is one of nine signal-callers to pass for at least 6,500 yards and 50 touchdowns since the start of 2021. That included 366 yards against Michigan in the Big Ten title game loss.
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NOTABLE
LSU: Initially picked to finish fifth in the SEC West, the Tigers instead won the division, reached No. 6 in the AP Top 25 and topped favorite Alabama 32-31 in overtime along the way. They lost 50-30 to top-ranked Georgia in the Southeastern Conference Championship game but gained 529 yards and hung the most points this season against the nation’s No. 2 scoring defense.
Purdue: The Boilermakers won their first Big Ten West title before losing to No. 2 Michigan 43-22 in the championship game.
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LAST TIME
First meeting.
BOWL HISTORY
LSU: The Tigers are 29-24-1 in bowls and 2-3 in the Citrus.
- 2018: Notre Dame 21, LSU 17
- 2017: LSU 29, Louisville 9
- 2010: Penn State 19, LSU 17
- 2005: Iowa 30, LSU 25
- 1979: LSU 34, Wake Forest 10
Purdue: The Boilermakers are making their first appearance in the Citrus Bowl since falling 34-27 in overtime to Georgia in 2004, then known as the Capital One Bowl. They are 11-9 overall, including last season’s 48-45 OT win over Tennessee in the Music City Bowl.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
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