Auburn will play Virginia in the Chik-Fil-A Bowl in Atlanta on December 31st.
In other college football news, LSU beat Georgia to win the Southeast Conference championship, and will play for the BCS national championship. There can be no question that LSU has the best team in the nation, based on record, strength of schedule, and actual performance on the field, crazy coach notwithstanding.
What is interesting is that there is also really no question that Alabama has the second-best team in the nation. I have not seen anybody really disputing that. What they are disputing is whether Alabama should get a chance to play LSU for the national championship, rather than, say, Oklahoma State. The question boils down to this: should the BCS give Alabama a second shot at LSU.
The answer is: of course not.
That’s not to say that Alabama should not have a shot at the national title. It’s simply to say that the BCS should not decide such things. In a sane world, a playoff scheme would determine who makes it to the final game, and Alabama and Oklahoma State have both earned a right to play in such a post-season playoff. But, unfortunately, the BCS is the system we have (for no rational reason that I can discern). And the BCS system states that the #1 team plays the #2 team for the national championship. The rules don’t say anything about who wins their conference, or who has already played and beaten who. It’s 1 and 2. Period. Don’t like it? Call the BCS.
Look, we all know, and have known for years, that the BCS is fatally flawed. Remember 2004, when unbeaten Auburn was denied the right to play for the national championship? The game wound up being played by Oklahoma and USC, and it was a farce (Oklahoma didn’t even show up, and it was a rather boring game, after which everybody except Oklahoma fans agreed that Auburn would have give USC a better game). There have been several years since when the standings, particularly based on win-loss records, have come down the wire, leaving us breathless with anxiety as to who should be in what bowl. Remember unbeaten TCU? Granted, it has added an interesting dynamic to the game, sometimes requiring a degree in advanced statistics to figure out who will rank where, and who will be eligible for what. But, in the end, it doesn’t leave us at the end of the season satisfied that we know who the best team in the country is. Which is, I believe, the point of a national championship.
I, for one, am thrilled about the re-match. We will see the two best teams (ranked #s 1 and 2) slug it out on the field (despite winning it’s conference, I don’t think Oklahoma State can hold a candle to either Alabama or LSU). Experience in other sports (i.e. the NFL) tells us that re-matches rarely mirror the initial match-up, so don’t expect this to be another 9-6 in overtime. In fact, this is a rare blessing: the opportunity to see a reprise of two juggernauts battling it out for the whole enchilada. The sequel should be even better than the original, which was some of the best football I’ve seen in a long time. What will be interesting is if the Tide beats the Tigers. That will leave the fans really wondering who the best team is!
Geaux Tide!