Year Game Played: | 2007 |
Title Sponsor: | Allstate |
Game Name: | Sugar Bowl |
Subheader: | BCS Bowl Game 73rd Sugar Bowl |
Football Season: | 2006 |
Visitor Name Short: | Notre Dame |
Visitor Nickname: | Fighting Irish |
Visitor School: | University of Notre Dame |
Home Name Short: | LSU |
Home Nickname: | Tigers |
Home School: | Louisiana State University |
Visitor Record: | 10–2 |
Visitor Conference: | Independent |
Home Record: | 10–2 |
Home Conference: | SEC |
Visitor Coach: | Charlie Weis |
Home Coach: | Les Miles |
Visitor Rank Ap: | 11 |
Visitor Rank Coaches: | 11 |
Visitor Rank Bcs: | 11 |
Home Rank Ap: | 4 |
Home Rank Coaches: | 4 |
Home Rank Bcs: | 4 |
Visitor 1Q: | 7 |
Visitor 2Q: | 7 |
Visitor 3Q: | 0 |
Visitor 4Q: | 0 |
Home 1Q: | 14 |
Home 2Q: | 7 |
Home 3Q: | 13 |
Home 4Q: | 7 |
Date Game Played: | January 3 |
Stadium: | Louisiana Superdome |
City: | New Orleans, Louisiana |
Mvp: | LSU QB JaMarcus Russell |
Odds: | LSU by 8½ |
Anthem: | Irvin Mayfield |
Referee: | Tom Walker (Big XII) |
Halftime: | LSU and Notre Dame Marching Bands |
Attendance: | 77,781 |
Us Network: | FOX |
Us Announcers Link: | List of announcers of major college bowl games |
Us Announcers: | Kenny Albert, Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long |
Ratings: | 9.3[1] |
The 2007 Allstate Sugar Bowl was a college football bowl game, which formed part of the 2006 - 2007 Bowl Championship Series (BCS) 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 Notre Dame Fighting Irish against the 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 (that game also featured a virtual "home" team, the Georgia Bulldogs). LSU won the 2007 contest 41 - 14, tying the Notre Dame-LSU series at 5 - 5 (with LSU taking a 2 - 0 lead in bowl game meetings).
With the loss, Notre Dame lost a record-setting nine bowl games in a row,[2] including losing their three BCS bowl games by wide point margins.[2]
See main article: 2006 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team. Notre Dame, a 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 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 USC. The Fighting Irish entered the Sugar Bowl ranked no. 11 in all three polls.
See main article: 2006 LSU Tigers football team. LSU, from the Southeastern Conference (SEC), 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 Auburn in week three. The team won its next two games before losing to no. 5 Florida 10–23. The Tigers won their next six games, including victories over no. 8 Tennessee and no. 5 Arkansas. LSU entered the Sugar Bowl ranked no. 4 in all three polls.
Neither team has returned to the Sugar Bowl. However, 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 2022 after 12 seasons in South Bend.