LSU and Alabama rematch isn’t necessarily a bad thing for fans

Bicker, groan or gripe all you want, LSU’s still playing Alabama for the BCS National Championship game.

No amount of complaining will change what’s already set in stone.

I know, I know, Alabama doesn’t deserve to be there. I understand they didn’t win the SEC West, much less the conference championship.

I also hear the bickers from those who tell me Oklahoma State played a statistically more difficult schedule and have a better full body of work than the Tide.

Trust me, you’re preaching to the choir, I agree with your sentiments.

But at the end of the day, I’m not one of those people shouting about the BCS’s inept ways this year and I ultimately respect the system’s decision. Fair or unfair, conference champions or no conference champions, let’s be real, LSU and Alabama are the two best teams in the country. I think the gap between Alabama and Oklahoma State is fairly significant, too.

After all, Oklahoma State didn’t beat Iowa State. I don’t know a lot about destiny, but I do know that fate often is able to beat Iowa State by six touchdowns.

So basically, the hand we’ve been dealt is the hand we have to play as college football fans, so let’s shift our attention to a different note, the rematch.

I’ve heard all week that rematches are awful and that the second game never lives up to the first.

So I got to doing a little research and what Mr. Google told me might surprise you, not all second chances are bad.

Heck, some are actually great and have produced some of the best moments in all of sports.

For fun, I’ll also throw movie sequels into this list, too. Why not? People hold sequels in the same regard as they do rematches, they think they just aren’t very good.

Let’s prove ‘em wrong right now.

Here’s my official top rematches and sequels of all-time.

Let’s hope by Jan. 10, LSU and Alabama Part II is on this list.

8. Star Wars/Harry Potter/Twilight

I’m not a fan of any of the above. I haven’t seen a single flick in any of these series. I only put them on the list for two reasons. The first is their successes. They have to be good, or else they wouldn’t draw as much money as they do worldwide. The second reason is fear. Had I not put these on the list, a mob of obsessed fans would have taken me out back and burned me at the stake. Not good times. You might be Team Jacob, but I’m Team Casey. Thank you very much.

7. Bulls vs. Jazz (1998)

The Jazz reached the NBA Finals in 1997, but were outclassed by the Michael Jordan’s Bulls in a fairly easy series win. In 1998, Utah beefed up its roster and took a second crack at Chicago. The result stayed the same with the Bulls winning on a miraculous Game 6 shot by Michael Jordan, but all of the games were fiercely competitive. The sports world will never forget MJ’s push off, then final jumper as a Bull, arching his hand in the air for a half-minute as he admires the ball going through the hoop.

6. Home Alone 2

Maybe I’m just a clown, but watching a cute blond-headed boy fend off two morons … that’s GOOD TV. I take nothing away from Macaulay Culkin, who was tremendous in these films, but the real stars in my opinion are Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern who made being a complete and utter idiot look just so easy. Round one between child and dufus was good. But round two was probably better. How much better? It grossed more than $350 million at the box office. For what it’s worth, Culkin is 31 now. How old does that make you feel? My, how time flies!

5. Rocky

I concede the first of this family is the best of the bunch. I also concede that the final few are lame attempts to make a few cheap bucks off a successful name. But there’s no one that can tell they didn’t get goose bumps watching Ivan Drago get his faced caved in by Rocky Balboa. There’s no one that can look me in the eye and say they didn’t feel a small sense of American pride watching the hero knock out the villain in front of his own countrymen. The Rocky movies are all awesome in their own way and this list would be fraud if they weren’t included.

4. Toy Story 2 and Toy Story 3

There’s no disputing the greatness of the Toy Story series. Whether you’re young, old, boy or girl, the movies are just a joy for all. But with that said, I can make a strong case the third was the best of the bunch. I can make an even stronger case the second was better than the first one. Toy Story is a prime example of the point illustrated here, greatness can occur more than once with the same set of characters. Who doesn’t love Buzz Lightyear or Woody? If you don’t, I have a perfect, two-syllable description for you – fun sponge. Yes, I called you a fun-sponge.

3. New York Giants vs. New England Patriots (2007-08)

The Giants and Patriots played a thrilling Week 17 regular season battle that went New England’s way, allowing the Patriots to complete a perfect 16-0 regular season. About a month later in the Super Bowl, critics said the Patriots held back in the first meeting and would roll through the Super Bowl unscathed. They didn’t and the Giants pulled off one of the biggest upsets in NFL history, dethroning New England’s perfect record in an absolute slugfest. I don’t know about you, but I most certainly love seeing Tom Brady get beat.

2. Ali vs. Frazier

I tried to keep boxing out of the list as much as possible because this is a sport of rematches. But how can one leave the third Ali/Frazier fight out of any “rematch” list? The first fight between the sporting icons was epic, dubbed as the Fight of the Century. The third bout between the foes, famously named the “Thrilla in Manila,” will long go down as one of the greatest sporting events of all-time. Ali won the “Thrilla” by KO.

1. USA vs. Soviet Union (1980)

The Soviet Union hockey team used to be an absolute wrecking ball that would just destroy everything in its path. In preparation for the 1980 Winter Olympics, the Soviets were so good that they crushed the NHL All-Stars 6-0 in an exhibition game. In an exhibition game with the USA, the Russians won in a rout, scoring a 10-3 victory. The second time around, things didn’t quite follow the same script. In what will probably go down forever as the greatest upset in the history of sports, the Americans shocked the world and stunned the Soviets in their second meeting, scoring a 4-3 win. The game, dubbed immediately as “The Miracle on Ice”, rejuvenated the entire American people in the midst of an exhausting Cold War against Communism.

So whine all you want. I don’t think it’s fair either. But not all rematches are made equal. Who knows? This LSU and Alabama encore just might be a thriller.