Tuesday, Dec. 6
December 6, 2011
Jake P. Lipari
December 8, 2011
The two best teams or the two best conference champions, that was the dilemma staked to college football voters and computers deciding who should play in the BCS National Championship game.
When the dust settled, the first scenario carried the majority and a rematch of the contest once dubbed as the Game of the Century was etched in stone for an encore performance.
Under the bright lights of a sold-out Mercedes-Benz Superdome, No. 1 LSU will take on No. 2 Alabama for all of college football’s marbles, the coveted crystal trophy given to the BCS National Champion.
That game will take place on Jan. 9, and both sides tout they are ready to vie for college football supremacy.
“I’ve never been a champion at any level of football, so this is very exciting for me as well as our team,” LSU safety Eric Reid said.
“We are very appreciative of the chance to play an LSU team that we have tremendous respect for,” Alabama coach Nick Saban said. “And we are looking forward to the challenge.”
The decision for a rematch was a popular one among both the LSU and Alabama locker rooms.
The Tigers’ viewing party exploded into applause when it was announced LSU would get a second crack at the conference rivals they beat in early November.
A similar reaction was heard in Tuscaloosa from the Tide, who also applauded the voters’ thought process, which guaranteed the SEC a sixth-straight college football national championship.
“We will take the utmost pride in getting this opportunity,” Alabama linebacker Dont’a Hightower said.
But the decision wasn’t without controversy, a virtual must in college football’s imperfect BCS system.
The Crimson Tide etched their place into Jan. 9’s big game by just less than .09 over No. 3 Oklahoma State, scoring a second-place mark of .9419 to slightly top the Cowboys’ .9333 mark.
Oklahoma State made a strong case for a shot at LSU with a primetime drubbing of Oklahoma on Saturday night that led Cowboys coach Mike Gundy to believe his team had solidified its place as the No. 2 team in the country.
“We felt like we had an opportunity by the way we played in the game,” Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy said.
Adding fuel to that argument’s fire is the fact that the Cowboys were also a conference champion, something Alabama was not. They have a better strength of schedule and double the wins against opponents with records above .500 than do the Tide.
But voters were apparently unable to accept Oklahoma State’s loss (a double overtime defeat to mediocre Iowa State) as being comparable to the Tide’s lone setback against the No. 1 team in the country.
The Crimson Tide also edged Oklahoma State in margin of victory per win, owning more decisive victories than the Cowboys.
Gundy said he doesn’t agree with the decision made, but accepts the BCS as both the judge and jury of who competes for a national championship.
“We believe in the system,” Gundy said. “For whatever reason, we came up a little bit short. … Hopefully next time we have an opportunity to play in the big game.”
Saban acknowledged that the decision could have gone both ways, but added that he hopes the talk of controversy fades before kickoff takes place.
“I don’t see why there’s any reason to keep mulling over the system,” Saban said. “The system that we have is the system. LSU is the No. 1 team. We’re the No. 2 team. Regardless of what anyone thinks about this, it sort of is what it is.”
Miles broke the tie and shared who he voted for in the final regular season ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll.
“I had to vote for [Alabama],” Miles said. “It was the honest vote.”
Regardless of who is or isn’t the No. 2 team in America, the No. 1 team in this equation was an iron-clad lock after LSU routed Georgia 42-10 in the SEC Championship Game on Saturday in the Georgia Dome.
For the second-straight game, LSU fell behind early before dominating late, scoring six-straight touchdowns to overcome a 10-0 second quarter deficit.
Sophomore Tyrann Mathieu set the Tigers’ run into motion, having a pair of dazzling punt returns, one which went for a touchdown. He also recovered a fumble in the win.
With a touchdown-scoring performance in a second-straight game, Mathieu, famously dubbed as the Honey Badger, has again become linked to the coveted Heisman Trophy.
Miles believes his player deserves a spot at the table.
“I think there’s a part of Tyrann Mathieu that is definitely the Honey Badger,” Miles said. “I think on the football field he takes what he wants or what he can get his hands on. But I know Tyrann Mathieu to be much more than just a Honey Badger, very quality young man, does a lot for his team. He’s a leader. I like the Tyrann Mathieu tag myself.”
Alabama also has a strong Heisman contender in halfback Trent Richardson, who rushed for 1,583 yards and 20 touchdowns on the season.
The Crimson Tide halfback is confirmed to be a finalist for the Heisman Trophy ceremonies and is seeking to become the Tide’s second-ever Heisman winner. He would join Saints halfback and former Alabama standout Mark Ingram as the only other player to earn such honors.
But Mathieu and Richardson’s regular season accomplishments are in the past and both teams’ focus is 100 percent on the future and the next meeting between No. 1 and No. 2.
Both sides tout they expect a completely different matchup from November’s 9-6 affair.
“I know that Alabama is going to be extremely motivated to get their ‘revenge,’ if you want to use that word,” Reid said. “We just have to come out with the mentality that they will be hyped up and we have to match their intensity.”
“We have a big month ahead of us to get prepared for that game and we have a lot of hard work ahead of us,” Alabama offensive lineman Barrett Jones said.
The first time, it was dubbed the Game of the Century and it was a defensive battle that wasn’t able to be decided in 60 minutes of hard hitting Southeastern Conference action.
This time, it’s simply called the BCS National Championship Game.
Will lightening strike twice and spark LSU to an undefeated 14-0 season?
Or will the pesky Crimson Tide ruin the party and take home their second national championship in the past three seasons during Nick Saban’s tenure?
A one-month wait now ensues.
LSU coach Les Miles and the Tigers hoist the SEC Championship Trophy following Saturday’s rout of Georgia. The Tigers will now move to the BCS National Championship Game where they will take on Alabama. STEVE FRANZ
