LSU-Alabama playing for the National Title, Half of it anyway

As Unclear as ever, the College Football National Championship
by Zach Williams


The college football National Championship game, LSU vs. Alabama next Monday night is nothing more than a glorified exhibition game.  If I had a vote, I would vote LSU number one no matter the outcome. I know that I will have some detractors, but it really is a clear cut can case. If Alabama wins, at best they split with LSU, losing one of the games at their home field. I understand that the National Championship game will be played at the Super Dome in New Orleans, but since its a neutral site game there will be plenty of Alabama fans in attendance. The bottom line is that the BCS may have gotten the best two teams together but it failed to get a clear cut winner and isn't that the point of the BCS. If college football is not going to have a definitive winner then at least go back to the old way where at least the bowl games mattered. Here is why LSU should be number one regardless of the outcome.

The Regular Season Matters

History tells the college football fan the regular season matters, the 1993 Notre Dame Fighting Irish defeated #1 Florida State only to lose Boston College the following week. The voters chose Florida State #1 with their narrow 18-16 win over Nebraska in the Orange Bowl. In 1989, the Irish got pounded by the Miami Hurricanes 27-10 but then went on to beat #1 Colorado 21-6 in the Orange Bowl. The Hurricanes defeated eighth-ranked Alabama 33-25 in the Sugar Bowl. But the title went to the Hurricanes because of the regular season victory over the Irish. In 2006, the top-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes defeated the second-ranked Michigan Wolverines in the regular season final 42-39 but only Ohio State got the chance to play for a national title a month and half later even though Michigan and Ohio State were clearly the best two teams in college football

College football is not like college basketball where the winner is determined on the field of play it must be figured out by computers and voters. The Butler Bulldogs and Connecticut Huskies squared off for the national title in college basketball this year and no one would tell you that these were the two best teams in the nation. But more times than not, the NCAA March Madness tournament gives us a winner that is not the best regular season team. If you recall, the Connecticut Huskies were a mediocre 17-9 a couple weeks before the Big East tournament but pulled together to win five games in five days to win the Big East before capturing Jim Calhoun's third national championship. In the NFL a year ago, the Atlanta Falcons and the New England Patriots had the best records in their conferences but didn't make to the Super Bowl (neither one won a home divisional playoff game). But doesn't matter because the Super Bowl is determined by a playoff system. 

Road Warriors
LSU already beat the Alabama Crimson Tide 9-6 in overtime at Alabama on November 2011. I heard Colin Cowherd say that Alabama outplayed LSU for the game but just didn't win. If college football was based on who outplayed who, then the Notre Dame Fighting Irish would've won the opening game against South Florida and the following game their rival the Wolverines of Michigan. Speaking of Michigan, they put a whopping 184 yards of total offense against the Virginia Tech Hokies in the Sugar Bowl, but you know what they did; they won. It doesn't matter how you win as long as you win. Advantage to LSU for already beating Alabama head-to-head, on the road nonetheless.

You are who you Beat
LSU beat a total of six teams that appear in the final Top 25 rankings compared to Alabama's three. If you count the top 25 teams that LSU/Alabama beat during the year, the Tigers beat eight teams to Alabama's four. Advantage LSU

To the Victors, go the Spoils

With the win against Alabama in November, LSU won the SEC West. What was their reward for winning the SEC West? Playing Georgia, who lost their first two games of the year (against Boise State and Oregon don't bad loses) in a pro-Georgia crowd at Georgia Dome in Atlanta to capture the SEC crown. Alabama got to sit and watch all of the other National Championship suitors lose (Stanford/Oklahoma State). With the additional win against a top 15 team in the SEC Championship, LSU must be rewarded. Advantage LSU

I will watch the National Championship game hoping that the Alabama Crimson Tide hoist the Sears Crystal after splitting the season series with LSU because the college football world and the university presidents might finally have to realize that the BCS is not the best way to crown a national champion. If the NCAA needs an idea on how to establish the playoff system, I will point them my way because I already figured it out seven years ago.