Is Alabama Deserving?
Before I begin, allow me a moment of full disclosure. If you’re one of the 4 people that made it to this website you are aware that it’s manned by a bunch of diehard LSU fans, and I am no different. Now that we got that out of the way, on to the topic at hand, why is Alabama considered a lock to play in the BCS title game? I want to preface this whole argument by saying I think Alabama is very, very good, and has a strong argument for being the second best team in the country, but being the second best team and deserving to play for the title are two different things. There’s a few reasons why I believe another team deserves a shot, and I’ll break them down below.
REASON A: ALABAMA IS NOT EVEN A DIVISION CHAMPION LET ALONE A CONFERENCE CHAMPION
I say this knowing full well that being a conference champ is not a requirement of the BCS, but logic states that if the national championship is meant to signify the best team in the entire sport, then the team that wins it shouldn’t be third best qualifier from its own conference. I truly believe that if LSU can’t beat Georgia this weekend, then they don’t deserve to hoist the crystal ball either. Everyone who wants to make the NFL, MLB, NBA, or any other sport wild card argument can save their breath. College football is a different animal, and it always has been. Two teams are anointed to play for the title, and not a field of playoff contenders. This has always made the college football regular season eminently important as any loss can, and usually does, end a team’s title hopes. There have been plenty of seasons where one conference loss has relegated LSU to miss out on Atlanta, but every SEC team’s mantra is always the same to start the season: Atlanta first, then the national title. No Atlanta should always mean no national title.
REASON B: LSU ALREADY BEAT BAMA . . . IN TUSCALOOSA
This is the one that really should send all those farmers back home crying to their wife/sister. You had your chance, in your home stadium where you “never lose” (except the past two times when it mattered), to beat LSU and you failed epically. “But we would’ve won handily if we didn’t miss 4 FGs and Eric Reid wasn’t so good that he out jumped and out fought a guy 7 inches taller and 60 pounds heavier.” Yeah well if Auburn didn’t graciously reroof the Cecil Newton Baptist Revival Church of Buttfuck, AL they wouldn’t have a national title, but they did, so welcome to reality. The fact that I could smell your kicker’s fear from 400 miles away, and the only sound louder than 100,000 people exhaling in agony every time he missed a kick was the sound of his asshole clenching out of dread for the next kick he knew he was going to shank. Maybe Golden Boy should spend some of his time either recruiting or coaching up special teamers, like the “Doofus” Les Miles. Les, unlike coaching Adonis Nick Saban, understands that special teams is a huge phase of the game and has consistently put top units on the field during his time with the Tigers. The bottom line is the Crimson Tide had every advantage in the first meeting, and still couldn’t get it done. What about that choke job screams that they should get another shot? Talent does not always merit opportunity in sports. If that were the case LeBron James would have 6 titles, the Chargers would win the Superbowl, and Alabama would legitimately have the 22 (or however many) national titles they claim to have. It sucks that you may be the second best team and not get to play for the title. Next time I suggest not shitting the bed in a big home game.
REASON C: IS ALABAMA REALLY THAT MUCH BETTER THAN OKLAHOMA STATE?
Iowa State is not good. However, is it the worst thing in the world to lose in 2OT on the road one day after your entire school mourned the loss of two prominent athletic figures? Alabama’s loss is definitely to a much better team, but Oklahoma State’s loss produced a better circumstance. It did not eliminate them from winning their conference. Alabama has a magnificent defense, but the best of all time, hardly. Alabama has played the murderers row schedule of North Texas, Kent St., and Penn St. all ranked 92nd or lower in total offense (out of 120 teams). In fact Alabama’s average opponent ranked 90th in offense, and Georgia Southern (who is an FCS team and has no offensive ranking) racked up over 300 yards rushing on the Tide. When questioned after the game Bama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart said when we scheduled Georgia Southern then didn’t run the triple option, and we couldn’t get out of the game now. Sounds like the guy running the most fearsome defensive unit of all time right? Alabama made no effort to test themselves outside of conference play, and for this reason they are going to be rewarded with a spot in the title game. Sounds backwards to me.
I think we need to let next weekend play out and if Oklahoma State, Virginia Tech, or even Houston can finish out conference championship runs each should be given serious title game consideration. At least each of them will have proved it with results on the field rather than winning the battle of what-ifs and conjecture off of it.
Simply put, Alabama could not get the football past the LSU 18 yard line — not even ONCE! They often penetrated the LSU 30 — but got negative net yardage when they did. LSU on the other hand got inside the Bama 10 twice in the game.
In short, the LSU defense stopped the vaunted Alabama offense cold every time — bar none.
LSU’s offense admittedly was not perfrect, and Miles called the game very conservatively ..
I find it disingenous for so many of the Talking Heads to say unequivocally that Bama is the second best team in the nation this year. There can be no doubt, after the Tigers beat UGA, that LSU is the best team in the country. However, the No. 2 team remains in question. I can state with some degree of certainty, that if Bama had won the game in Tuscaloosa, no one would be saying that LSU deserved another bite at the apple. Why are so many advocating a rematch? Because most “experts” thought Bama was going to win that game relatively easily. When LSU burst their little pre-conceived bubble, they all had to scatter about looking for some other reason to include Bama. LSU is given great credit for its Shut Down Defense, but little credit for its improved offense. This is not last year’s offense, folks. This is new and improved. JJ has improved tremendously as a runner, passer, and is able to run the option with efficiency. JL, altho sometimes fundamentally unsound, has a rocket of an arm and has enjoyed alot of success this year. We’ve put lots of points on the board this year. It may be true that no other top 5 team can score enough to win on LSU’s D, but I say someone, who hasn’t had the chance deserves to try. Stop the whining and begging Bama, you had your chance under the most favorable circumstances, now let’s give someone else a shot! It has been entertaining to see Saban lower himself to lobbying (if not begging) for Bama in the championship game. As for me, I’d love to see the Okie St. O face the LSU D.
Agree with everything said, but unfortunately Bama has always been a media darling and it will be tough to convince the voters that a rematch is horrible for the BCS. Odds are we’re going to play Alabama again on January 9 (unless we see an Okie St. blowout win, a Va Tech loss to Clemson and a responsive shift of the human vote as a result). An LSU win would just reinstate the fact that we’re the better team; a Bama win would always be seen as a tainted win due to the season split. Now I’m not one of those who thinks that if Bama wins they don’t deserve to be champions, but there are plenty out there who do feel that way, and the BCS reputation would suffer greatly from such a result.