President Donald Trump is expected to attend the Louisiana State University-Alabama college football game this weekend.
Trump, 73, has been engaged in a number of sporting events lately.
In October, Trump and a collection of Republican allies took in Game 5 of the World Series in Washington.
Over the weekend, the president, two of his sons, and several lawmakers went to Madison Square Garden to watch the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) 244.
On Monday, the president welcomed the Washington Nationals to the White House to celebrate their World Series win.
The Alabama-LSU game is a matchup between two of the top teams in the nation, possibly the top two.
Trump was in the crowd watching Alabama face Georgia in the National Championship Game for the 2017 season in Atlanta, Georgia. Alabama won 26-23.
Trump later celebrated the win with Alabama at the White House.
“It was truly a win for the ages,” Trump said during that visit. “I don’t know if you know, but I was there.”
“It will go down as one of the most exciting finishes in college football history—of any sport,” he added, referring to Alabama’s furious comeback.
Playoff Contenders Don’t Want to Start Third
If the five-year history of the College Football Playoff has taught us anything it is this: Don’t start off third in the initial rankings.The 13-member selection committee headed by Oregon athletic director Rob Mullens gathered at a hotel in Grapevine, Texas, on Sunday to hammer out its first top 25 of the season. It will be revealed Tuesday night.
It will provide the first look at what the committee is thinking about the contenders. LSU, Alabama, Ohio State, Clemson, and Penn State are all expected to be in the mix for those precious top four slots.
Over the last five years, 11 of the 20 teams to appear in the top four of the committee’s initial rankings went on to reach the playoff. The hit rate has been going up. In 2014, just one of the initial first four advanced to the playoff: second-place Florida State. That increased to two the next two years. The last two years, three of the initial top four made the playoff.
But never the team ranked third out of the gate.
Last year, that was LSU, behind Alabama and Clemson and ahead of Notre Dame. Like last year, days after the first playoff rankings are released, the Tigers and Crimson Tide will play. It is projected to be a No. 1 versus No. 2 matchup—just the 26th in the regular season in the 83-year history of the poll and the first since LSU and Alabama matchup in 2011.
Last year, LSU had already lost a game going into the Alabama showdown. When the Tide smoked the Tigers, they were never in serious playoff contention again.
This year, LSU and Alabama are unbeaten, and even before the first CFP rankings are released the question is: Will the latest Game of the Century be an playoff elimination game or just a way to determine seeding for two of the best four teams in the country? LSU-Alabama is one of several huge remaining games involving playoff hopefuls. Another one is Penn State at Minnesota on Saturday in a matchup of unbeaten teams. Down the road, unbeaten Baylor will play one-loss Oklahoma and Penn State also has a showdown at Ohio State which could be the Big Ten’s version of LSU-Alabama.
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