LSU Self-Imposes One-Year Bowl Ban

A year after LSU appeared in two bowls, this year they will appear in none

Late Wednesday night, LSU announced to the NCAA that it was a self-imposing a bowl ban effective for the 2020-2021 season in relation to improper booster payments.

The payments in question refer to a booster paying the father of formerTiger offensive linemen Vadal Alexander nearly $200,000 over a five-year period for a “no-show job” and Odell Beckham handing out $2,000 in cash to players after last season’s national championship game. In October, LSU announced it banned Odell Beckham from its facilities for two years.

Although the Tigers are 3-5, they would still be considered eligible for a bowl game this year as the NCAA waived bowl eligibility to provide scheduling flexibility during the pandemic.

The ban goes along with an additional eight scholarship sanction the school self imposed over two years, along with limits on communication with recruits as part of the penalty for the same infractions behind the bowl ban.

While this is another mark against the program in a season filled with negatives, there is some silver lining taking it this year. Better take the punishment this year, during arguably the worst year in the program, than a future season when the team may have some promise.

Still the program is in a deep hole that it must escape.