Les Miles and Voodoo- Part 2

In my last post about Les Miles and Voodoo I laid out some of the strange coincidences, if you can call them that, between Les Miles and the practice of Voodoo. Now, I’m not sure if there really is a connection or just some strange coincidences.

However, I do think that LSU, although certainly a great team, has had some pretty good fortune this year especially in regards to the harder teams they played. Things like dropped balls, dumb calls (by opponents), field goals that went crooked, fumbles that bounced directly into their hands etc. I guess you could credit all this to being a great team or maybe they had a little help, who knows?

As we get ready to face off again in what will be another close game you have to wonder what may happen crazy this time?

But personally I think Les’s luck (or is it Voodoo) is about to run out. Here is why.

To begin with is the uniform dilemma. I’m actually surprised there has been no mention of this. We all know LSU loves to wear white because to be honest they think the white is lucky for them. Now there is a little bit of a dilemma. LSU’s tradition is that they wear white for the first home game of season and white for every home SEC game (the conference has mandated this.) But they bring out the purple for home games against non-conference opponents. Basically they wear purple when they are beating up Western Kentucky. So, as home team in this game I’m sure they will wear white...but this is not an SEC game, so by tradition they should wear purple. But they won’t do that because they would feel jinxed by that. But I contend they are already jinxed by breaking their own pattern. By the way, I’m sure he wouldn’t do it, but I think in order for LSU to wear white in this non-conference game Alabama/Saban would have to agree to wear crimson as the visitor. In other words we could tell them forget it, you are the home, we are wearing white

The second reason is actually a New Orleans voodoo thing. The Superdome was built on top of an old cemetery. Bodies were actually discovered during the excavation. Almost from the beginning people in New Orleans have felt the place was cursed due to disturbing the dead. In fact (and this is a fact) on several occasions real honest to goodness New Orleans Voodoo priest have been called upon to remove the Superdome curse to help the home teams that play there (Saints, Tulane and in my book LSU.) Apparently their efforts have only been partially successful. I contend that in the strange case of the Superdome being home team may not be such an advantage. By the way, when playing in the Sugar Bowl game or the BCS game in the Sugar Bowl, while the game is in the dome, LSU is only 3-2. Not exactly a big dome advantage. Alabama, in the same setting, is 5-2.

I tend to think the dome favors us because the home team, LSU, could still be under a curse. I know, I know, they won the last 2 BCS games in the dome. But, when playing for the NC in the dome Alabama is 3-0. Furthermore, LSU’s two BCS victories were against teams from Oklahoma and Ohio. Why does that matter?

Well, it goes back to the American Indian, Black Hawk. Black Hawk is directly tied to Ohio, home of the Cleveland Indians whose mascot is clearly modeled after Black Hawk. Black Hawks’ decedents, most famously Jim Thorpe, settled in Oklahoma. These two states in modern times are more closely tied to Black Hawk than any other states. Now, Black Hawk’s spirit is worshiped by New Orleans Voodoo worshipers. Thus New Orleans Voodoo practitioners would never put a curse on teams from Ohio or Oklahoma. When LSU played teams from Ohio and Oklahoma in New Orleans I would guess the Voodoo priests were essentially neutral, or not involved.

But, the spirits who were buried under the Superdome were not American Indian or Voodoo followers. The cemetery was for WASP. Thus with the Voodoo crowd not picking sides in the game the spirits buried beneath the dome were probably rallied around the home standing team in white. (Note to New Orleans Saints, you’d do better in white.)

Now in a match up between Bama and LSU the Voodoo priest will clearly favor LSU. But, what about the spirits of New Orleans underneath the stadium? I contend they will favor Bama. Furthermore, there is a very close connection between New Orleans and Tuscaloosa. If you assign letter values to each number in the city names (1 for a, 2 for b, 3 for c, etc.) you will find that the cities are a perfect match. The value of each name (New Orleans and Tuscaloosa) is an identical 126. What are the odds that the two cities would have exact same number of letters in each name and the value of both would add to 126. Furthermore, a little known fact about Alabama is that our VERY FIRST VICTORY against an actually college team as well as our first victory of any kind out of state came against Tulane on Nov. 3, 1894 in New Orleans. (Prior top that win we were 0-4 vs. college teams.) Also, Alabama has played twice in New Orleans in a season on three occasions ( 1921, 1947, and 1992) and the only other places we have played twice in one year is Miami (1952), Jackson (1982) and Atlanta (2009.) (New Orleans really has become our home away from home.)

Therefore, when Alabama plays in New Orleans there are a whole lot of reasons to think we will be successful a large amount of the time. The only time we played an SEC team in a bowl was in New Orleans in the 1964 Sugar Bowl which we won 12-7 over Ole Miss. Furthermore, as mentioned we have won National Championships in the Dome on 3 occasions (78, 79, 92.) On another occasion (61) we finished off our #1 year with a victory. And, given the Vodoo priests (who would favor LSU) inability in the past to lift the curse of the cemetery I like our chances.

Finally, in Oct. of this year the stadium was named (or renamed) the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Obviously neither Alabama or LSU has played in the "Mercedes-Benz Superdome." But, putting the name Mercedes-Benz on the outside of the stadium can only be a good sign for Bama considering we have the only Mercedes-Benz plant in America in Tuscaloosa.

Interestingly, Mercedes-Benz as a company was founded in 1926. Every Bama fan knows 1926 was a very, very significant year for Alabama football. On Jan 1, 1926 Bama won the first Rose Bowl in which it played. (Note: 1-1-26 is very close to the magic number for T-Town and New Orleans 126). Furthermore, in the year 1926 Alabama did not lose a football game claiming it’s 2nd straight NC. Amazingly in the calendar years 1925-1926, Alabama was 19-0 with 2 NC. It is the greatest 2 calendar year cycle for Alabama ever. On Jan. 1, 1927 Bama tied Stanford in another Rose Bowl, the magic was over, and we went 5-4-2 for the year of 1927.

My point being both Alabama and Mercedes-Benz are connected through the year 1926 as Tuscaloosa and New Orleans are connected through 126.

All in all I think things line up very good for Bama vs. LSU (voodoo and all.)Miles all time winning percentage for the first time ever stands at 73% (with the UGA victory.) I just think Miles winning percentage should be at 72% (see the earlier post.) If we beat him this time his percentage drops back to 72% where it should be. Order will have been restored in the college football universe.