With the 67th meeting of LSU and Arkansas coming up this weekend, I thought we'd have a quick lesson on the history of the Battle for the Boot series. The storied rivalry between the two teams has become a very interesting tale since the teams first meeting.

The Battle for the Boot has been an annual matchup between the LSU Tigers and Arkansas Razorbacks for the past 27 seasons, but the series dates back all the way to 1901 in a game LSU won 15-0.

LSU and Arkansas have played each other 66 times since 1901 and have faced off every year since the Razorbacks joined the SEC in 1992. From 1930-1992, LSU had won 12 of the 13 matchups between the teams with the only other game resulting in a 0-0 tie in a game nicknamed the 'Ice Bowl'.

The 'Ice Bowl' took place on January 1st, 1947. Played in Dallas, Texas the game got its nickname 'Ice Bowl' because of the 20 degree temperatures and sleet and snow that fell during the game. LSU's offense 'dominated' Arkansas, out-gaining them by nearly 200-yards and finding the red zone four times, but ultimately, they were denied points by Arkansas' defense every time. On the last two plays of the game, Arkansas stopped LSU on the one-yard line and LSU would then set up for what should've been the game winning field goal, but a bad snap caused the game to end in a 0-0 tie. LSU would go on to win the next five matchups before the annual series began in 1992.

Since 1996, the winner of the game each year has been awarded with the Battle for the Boot trophy and holds it until that team loses, and it is then passed on to the new winner. The Battle for the Boot trophy is over 200 Ibs and is made of 24k gold, valued at $10,000, it is believed to be one of the heaviest trophies in all of college football.

The Tigers have held the trophy 18 times since its inception and have possessed it for six of the past seven years. LSU currently holds the Battle of the Boot trophy after their 13-10 win in 2022 and it will be on display on the Tigers sideline during the game on Saturday.

Since 1992, Arkansas has only won back-to-back matchups three times while LSU has won 4+ games in a row three different times. LSU currently leads the all-time series with 41 wins, 23 losses and two ties, and since the teams started playing annually, LSU boasts a 18-9 record against the Razorbacks.

Over the past three seasons, every game between the two teams have been decided by a field goal. In 2020, the Tigers claimed the trophy for the fifth consecutive year with a 27-24 win in Fayetteville. In 2021, Arkansas reclaimed the trophy, taking down LSU in a 16-13 overtime game before the trophy shifted hands once again in 2023 after LSU's 13-10 win. During this three-year span, the road team has won every game.

The game this weekend is the earliest the two teams have ever met. Every game since 1992 has been held in November towards the back of the SEC schedule, but this year, the teams will face off in September.

This storied rivalry will add a new page this Saturday as the Razorbacks travel to Death Valley to try to recapture the Battle of the Boot trophy.