2007 Sugar Bowl


The 2007 Allstate Sugar Bowl was a college football bowl game, which formed part of the 2006-2007 Bowl Championship Series of the 2006 [NCAA Division I FBS football season]. Played on January 3, 2007, in the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, it was the 73rd Sugar Bowl. The game matched the 2006 [Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team|Notre Dame Fighting Irish] against the 2006 [LSU Tigers football team|LSU Tigers] and was televised on Fox.
This game received extra attention because it was the return of the Sugar Bowl to New Orleans. In 2006, the game was played at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia due to the damage caused by Hurricane Katrina to the Superdome. LSU won the 2007 contest 41-14, tying the Notre Dame-LSU series at 5-5.
With the loss, Notre Dame lost a record-setting nine bowl games in a row, including losing their three BCS bowl games by wide point margins.

Teams

Notre Dame

Notre Dame, a Division I FBS independent schools|Division I FBS independent], finished the regular season at 10–2. The Fighting Irish entered the season ranked at no. 2 in the AP Poll before losing 21–47 to no. 11 2006 [Michigan Wolverines football team|Michigan] in week three. The team won its next eight games, reaching no. 6 in the AP Poll, but lost the regular season finale 24–44 to no. 3 2006 [USC Trojans football team|USC]. The Fighting Irish entered the Sugar Bowl ranked no. 11 in all three polls.

LSU

LSU, from the Southeastern Conference, finished the regular season at 10–2. The Tigers entered the season ranked at no. 8 in the AP Poll before losing 3–7 to no. 3 2006 [Auburn Tigers football team|Auburn] in week three. The team won its next two games before losing to no. 5 2006 [Florida Gators football team|Florida] 10–23. The Tigers won their next six games, including victories over no. 8 2006 [Tennessee Volunteers football team|Tennessee] and no. 5 Arkansas Razorbacks football team|Arkansas]. LSU entered the Sugar Bowl ranked no. 4 in all three polls.

Game summary

Statistics

Aftermath

LSU has played three national championship games in the Superdome since, defeating Ohio State for the 2007 BCS title, losing to Alabama for the 2011 BCS crown, and defeating Clemson in the College Football Playoff title game following the 2019 season. LSU also defeated Tulane in a 2007 regular season game in the Superdome.
LSU and Notre Dame met in the 2014 Music City Bowl and 2018 Citrus Bowl, with the Fighting Irish winning both. Brian Kelly, who led Notre Dame to those wins, became the Tigers' coach in LSU Tigers football team|2022] after 12 seasons in South Bend.