There are always plenty of interesting stories involving the annual Alabama-LSU football game, but one of the strange elements is how closely the game’s outcome has aligned with United States presidential elections for the past four decades.

In nine of the last 10 election years dating back to 1984, the Republican nominee has emerged victorious when LSU defeated Alabama in football that year. When the Crimson Tide wins, the Democratic nominee has usually assumed the presidency.

The only exception was in 2016, when Alabama beat LSU 10-0, but Republican Donald Trump defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton for the presidency. The trend resurfaced in 2020, when a Joe Biden election victory over Trump followed a Crimson Tide victory over the Baton Rouge Tigers.

Here’s the full list, including match scores and election results:

1984: LSU 16, Alabama 14. Ronald Reagan (R) defeats Walter Mondale (D).

1988: LSU 19, Alabama 18. George HW Bush (R) defeats Michael Dukakis (D).

1992: Alabama 31, LSU 11. Bill Clinton (D) defeats George HW Bush (R).

1996: Alabama 26, LSU 0. Bill Clinton (D) defeats Bob Dole (R).

2000: LSU 30, Alabama 28. George W. Bush (R) defeats Al Gore (D).

2004: LSU 26, Alabama 10. George W. Bush (R) defeats John Kerry (D).

2008: Alabama 27, LSU 21. Barack Obama (D) defeats John McCain (R).

2012: Alabama 21, LSU 17. Barack Obama (D) defeats Mitt Romney (R).

2016: Alabama 10, LSU 0. Donald Trump (R) defeats Hillary Clinton (D).

2020: Alabama 55, LSU 17. Joe Biden (D) defeats Donald Trump (R).

We’re not saying that Alabama fans should necessarily root for a Kamala Harris win on Tuesday (or whenever the final votes are counted) or that LSU fans should root for Donald Trump. After all, it’s just football.

But it’s a strange trend.