Homecoming is supposed to be a celebration of team pride and school spirit. But sometimes the easy team you pay to beat on home turf does the beating in college sports.
That was certainly the case with the LSU Tigers, who paid Troy a hefty sum to waltz right into Tiger Stadium and hand LSU a loss on Saturday night. Troy beat LSU, 24-21, and was up 17-0 in the third quarter before the Tigers got their collective act together and attempted to mount a comeback. However, the Tigers fell short in the fourth quarter and were left with the loss and footing the bill.
The big question after a loss to a homecoming opponent is how much did that team get paid to win. Enter ESPN computron Darren Rovell with your answer there.
Troy, which is getting paid $985,000 to play LSU tonight, is beating them 17-0.
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) October 1, 2017
That’s a lot of money for a Sun Belt team to come in and beat the brakes off a very caffeinated Ed Orgeron squad for a few quarters. Tigers fans are certainly upset now at their team’s 3-2 start in Coach O’s first season.
LSU was a 20.5-point favorite to beat Troy (lost 24-21). It's the Tigers' second-biggest upset loss in the last 40 seasons. pic.twitter.com/l5cKfyL8e4
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) October 1, 2017
And the ceremonial dragging of LSU by every Twitter account even tangentially related to Troy happened in earnest on Saturday night. But remember: It’s always important to be polite in moments such as these.
Hey @LSU, thanks for having us down for homecoming! We really enjoyed it! 😁
— Troy University (@TROYUnews) October 1, 2017
The lesson, as always, be careful who you schedule on homecoming. You never want to ruin your own party.
