My thoughts on the 2011-2012 BCS National Championship game

There are so many different ways to look at tonight's B.C.S. national championship that it almost blows my mind.  So many different questions one may ask such as:  Is L.S.U. the best collegiate football team ever?  Does Alabama deserve to be there?  If 'Bama wins, does Oklahoma State deserve part of the championship as well?  Will there be a touchdown?  Who do I cheer for?  Who's going to win?

Addressing those questions in order, this has been one heckuva year for L.S.U.  Certainly the best year in recent memory, and quite possibly the best of all time.  If L.S.U. wins tonight, they would have beaten nine top 25 teams in 14 games.  Four of those games would have been against top 3 teams.  They have already beaten 6 bowl game winners, including the winners of the Rose, Sugar, and Cotton Bowls (which some say are the 3 of the 4 best bowl games out there).  I honestly don't see any reason for them to slow down now.  They have a killer defense and a coach who is willing to take big risks.  If they win tonight they will be, in my humble opinion, the best college football team ever.

Do the Crimson Tide really deserve to even be playing against L.S.U. for the title a mulligan of the proclaimed "Game of the Century"?  Nick Saban has been unofficially quoted as saying, "Anyone who doesn't win their conference has no business playing in the National Championship game."  That quote may or may not be real, even though it's not a stretch of the imagination to picture the weasel of a coach saying something along those lines.  'Bama already lost to the Tigers on their home field, and couldn't manage to score a touchdown on the maniac L.S.U. defense.  They didn't win their conference, or their division.  Heck they didn't even finish second in their conference.  Now you tell me if that sounds like a team that deserves a rematch.

Nick Saban wishes he was as cool as Vader.  I just thought this picture was funny.

Let's assume 1 loss Alabama does in fact pull out the upset.  That would leave us with no undefeated teams, and a leave Alabama with a lot of company in the loss department.  This raises the very question that the whole B.C.S. is supposed to eliminate, "Should we have split champions?"  Undoubtedly the best 1 loss team that didn't play in the National Championship is Oklahoma State.  With a resume of five victories against teams in the top 25, and one loss (which came the day after a tragic accident in the school's athletic program, and happened on the road in 2OT), and 1 conference championship under it's belt, it seems pretty difficult to deny the Cowboys their due.  'Bama has less wins against top 25 teams, a loss on their home field, no conference or division title to their name.  I'm still waiting to hear a decent argument as to why Ok. St. doesn't deserve a split title.

Last time these two teams met it was a 9-6 overtime shootout in Tuscaloosa.  Are we in for a more entertaining/higher scoring affair tonight?  Yes.  Both teams have had a while to practice and prepare for each other, and a lot of time to practice trick plays which bowl games tend to highlight.  That's not mentioning "The Mad Hatter" and his aggressive play calling either.  Both teams will want to jump out to an early lead, so look for some big shots early on.  Don't count out a defensive score either.

If you woke up today and couldn't figure out a team to cheer for (as so many find it difficult to do with the S.E.C. and with this game in particular) than here are a few things to take into account.  Nick Saban is public enemy #1 in the great state of Louisiana.  He was the head coach of the Tigers and led them to the 2003 B.C.S. title, and quickly bolted for a higher paying/more prestigious job opportunity in the N.F.L. with the Miami Dolphins.  That doesn't sit right with L.S.U. fans.  Neither does the fact that he left the Dolphins after a losing season, to take over at a division rival, and one of the most hated programs in the S.E.C.  He reportedly lied to the Dolphins saying he wasn't interested in coaching Alabama or any other team.  (When he left the Dolphins he didn't personally address his players and fellow coaches.  He contacted them over a conference call.)  If you're a B.C.S. hater, you might find yourself cheering for Alabama (or against L.S.U., however you may look at it).  Having another split national title will only cause a strong uprising and argument against the so called "perfect system".  Oklahoma State fans will be donning their finest crimson tonight.

The game will be played in New Orleans, Louisiana (a city that is quickly becoming a football hotspot), which is a convenient 80 mile drive for Tiger fans.  L.S.U. already has some swag heading into the game with the knowledge that it beat Alabama on it's home turf.  'Bama is playing with a bit of a chip on it's shoulder trying to prove that it belongs and that it deserves the crystal football.  All things considered, I believe that L.S.U. will win tonight.  It won't be a shootout that many want, but sparingly expect, but the result will be a positive one for Tiger fans everywhere.  L.S.U. 24 Alabama 14

Geaux Tigers

Why the 2008 Utes are better than any team Boise State has ever had

For those of you who follow this blog, or know me personally, you know that I'm not a big Boise State fan.  In fact I really don't like them at all.  It bugs me how much attention they get year after year for playing a terrible schedule.  I have never said that Boise State is bad.  They are a good team.  They just don't deserve the praise that they get.  Many people want BSU to have a chance at the national championship.  Let's take a look at what last years title winning team had to play to get the the 'ship shall we?

This guy doesn't like Boise State too much either.

Last year Auburn took home the trophy after a controversial season.  Did I like them?  No.  Do I think they cheated?  Yes.  However Boise State has had allegations against their recruiting too.  Auburn's first test of the year was Mississippi State.  This year the Bulldogs have fallen on some rough times, but last years team wen 9-4, beat Michigan in the bowl game, and finished the year in the top 25.  Next they played another team that made it to a bowl game in Clemson.  Clemson didn't have the best season, but at least made it to a bowl game.  After they had to play (then) #12 South Carolina, who ended up being the SEC East champion of last year.  That's 3 weeks in a row with high quality games.  Boise State's lucky if they get 2 quality games in a whole regular season.  Auburn had a close encounter with another bowl bound Kentucky a couple weeks later followed by another game with the #12 ranked Razorbacks.  The week after they played #6 LSU.  That's 4 top 25 teams played in 8 games.  That's not even mentioning the classic they had with Alabama in the Iron Bowl, then manhandling South Carolina in the SEC championship game, followed by the National Championship against Oregon.  Eight of the 14 games Auburn played were against top 25 teams, and 9 of 13 games in the prior to the national championship against teams that were going to a bowl game.

Last year Boise State played 4 teams who were ranked in the top 25.  Virginia Tech (who lost the next week to FCS' James Madison), Oregon State (who didn't even play in a bowl game last year), Nevada (who the Broncos choked against), and Utah (who was overrated all year and playing with a backup QB).  It's not a question of whether or not Boise State is good enough.  But whether or not they deserve it.  Last year I don't think anyone can argue that the most definitely didn't.  This year, Boise has one decent win against Georgia.  Georgia lost the next week as well against an underachieving S. Carolina team, and is currently ranked number 22 in the latest BCS standings.  Other than that, they don't play another ranked team all year, and seldom play a team with a winning record.  They don't deserve to even be in the conversation with the other 3 teams in the top 4.  If you want to be the best, you have to beat the best, and in college football, the best will beat the best on a constant basis.

Now let's take a look at other "great" teams Boise State has produced.  In 2009 Boise State won the Fiesta Bowl over TCU.  Who did they play before that?  Good question.  We would have to go all the way back to the first game of the year.  They played Oregon who went on to be the Pac-10 champions and would lose in the Rose Bowl to Ohio State.  So they did have 1 quality win in the regular season.  Other than that the most points they gave up were 35 against the La. Tech Bulldogs.  While the big teams are beating down top 25 competition, big bad Boise goes and picks on San Jose State and Bowling Green.  Even if they do have the same talent, they should have to earn it just like everyone else does.  In 2009 Boise didn't earn it.  (Alabama who was the national champion that year, played, and won 4 games against teams in the top 9.)

"Well what about 2006?  We beat Oklahoma that year!" argues the diehard Bronco fan.  But the question is, what did they do to earn the right to even be on the same field as Oklahoma?  I know that wins over Sacramento State, Wyoming, and on the road at bitter, bitter rival Idaho are impressive...but that doesn't cut it for me, or for anyone with a brain.  You can't do nothing the entire regular season, and expect to have the same benefits as a team who plays a death march of a schedule to get there.  This has lead me to my point.

She woulda said, "no" if they had lost.

Any team that doesn't play in an AQ conference, with the BCS system in tact is going to have a tough time getting where they want to go because of a weak schedule.  That wasn't the case with the 2008 Utah Utes.  Boise State usually opens the season with a game against a big team at a neutral site.  The 2008 Utes opened the season with a true road game against the winningest program in college football history, and won.  A few weeks later, a 5-0 Utah team plays against an Oregon State team that had just knocked off the number 1 team in the nation, USC.  Utah beat them too.  Oregon State finished the season 9-4 and in the top 25.  After Oregon State, Utah played TCU (who was ranked 11 or 12 depending on the poll), and beat them too.  Finally the Utes, to solidify another BCS bid, played the number 14 ranked BYU Cougars, and won again.  4 quality wins in the regular season.  That's more quality wins in 1 regular season, than Boise State has had in this regular season, '09, and '06 combined.  After a great regular season, Utah went on to play a team that thought they should be playing in the national championship in Alabama, and Utah destroyed them.  They didn't have a close game like Boise State's games against Oklahoma and TCU.

This is what people do when they win 31-17

Utah proved they had a deserved to be there and they proved it in the regular season.  Boise State has never done that and they won't do it again this year but they'll still make it to a BCS game.  The 2008 Utes proved they belonged, when Boise still hasn't had more than 1 quality wins in a regular season in a looooooooong time.  Down with Boise and all other teams who don't deserve what they get.

At least A-Town understands me.

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