It's rivalry weekend in Louisiana: LSU plays Alabama Saturday, and then on Sunday, the New Orleans Saints are in Atlanta for their rematch with the Falcons.
Other than a stray win here or there for Atlanta, in the Sean Payton era, the Saints have pretty much dominated the Falcons. So is it really a rivalry?
"Yeah, it always is because of the fans," said WWL NFL analyst Mike Detillier. To hear him tell it, the Saints/Falcons rivalry defines the phrase "no love lost."
"Falcons fans hate Saints fans, Saints fans hate Falcons," said Detillier. "So it's always going to be a rivalry."
Detillier says we can expect more of the Saints recent focus on the run game.
"The emergence of the power running game here with this football team, how they've built up front along the offensive line, more of Latavius Murray," Detillier said. "The power running skills of Taysom Hill, I think, give the Saints the advantage here in this football game."
And LSU-'Bama?
"When you've dominated college football the way Alabama has over the last ten or eleven years, other than last year, yeah, it's a rivalry," said Detillier.
But unlike last year, when LSU had stout offensive linemen and Heisman-winning quarterback Joe Burrow, the Fighting Tigers this year have been struggling.
"This year, LSU's been as soft as cotton up front along their offensive line," Detillier said, "and their defensive line hasn't played extremely well."
As a result, undefeated Alabama is favored by more than four touchdowns over the 3-4 Tigers.
"It's the first time in 40 years, a defending national champ has been a 29½-point underdog," said Detillier.
It's LSU versus Alabama at 7 p.m. Saturday, and the Saints at Atlanta Sunday at noon, all here on WWL.