LSU Wins National Title: Start Writing Your Puns!
by Peter Bean on Jan 7, 2008 11:22 PM CST
in Football
27 comments
As tempting as it is to have fun with all this, it was just one game and this year's mythical national champion lost two along the way. In the end, this arbitrary system gave us an arbitrary "champ," and though LSU has a legitimate claim to a 2007 title, it could have gone any number of other ways and been just as legitimate.
And so it will be until we get a playoff, the conclusion of which will produce a team which has a less arbitrary claim to being the national champion. The concept of the Best, capital B, team in college football may not be something knowable, but I'm firmly among those who would prefer a tournament of some sort at the end of the season in which the 4, 6, 8 or whatever most deserving teams play for a trophy. Count me among those who believe it would be better than what we've got now.
I hope you enjoyed your last game of college football for the season. Winter is upon us.
--PB--
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Give me a pick right now
Hypothetical matchup of Texas vs LSU. Does UT have a chance?
by goingforthecorner on Jan 7, 2008 11:54 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
No
LSU would thrash UT. LSU D would force lots of turnovers. LSU O would have no problem exploiting the UT pass defense. It would be an ugly, embarrassing game. What would be particularly humiliating would be if Ryan Perriloux got into the game and did well.
by Kafka on Jan 8, 2008 9:46 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
A truly mythical national champ
Out of all the BCS champs so far, this LSU team is by far the most forgettable. They had two losses and had only one dominating performance the whole year. Out of the 10 BCS champs they rank near the bottom of the pile. Talented team but they just were not focused enough to run the table. They are solid team but I thought USC or Georgia could beat team.
People need to stop hating on Ohio State. It wasn't because they were slower than LSU. Did you guys see that Beanie Wells' run? LSU was just more talented and more physical not faster. Ohio State was just not good enough and physically talented enough. Their recievers could not get open.
The two players that stuck out for me were Chris "Beanie" Wells and Malcom Jenkins. I thought they were the best players on the field.
Congratulations to LSU for winning a truly mythical national championship.
by seant on Jan 8, 2008 12:05 AM CST reply actions 0 recs
Team speed
LSU as a team was much faster than OSU. OSU may have a couple of individual players who are faster than anyone on LSU's team, but from top to bottom, LSU was faster. That was the difference in the game.
by manbearhorn on Jan 8, 2008 8:23 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Top 5 next year
Lou Holtz and Mark May just gave out their preseason top 5.
May had Texas at #3 because he was very impressed of our Holiday Bowl performance. Neither had OU in the top 5, and Holtz had Missouri at #5. Interesting.
by goingforthecorner on Jan 8, 2008 12:31 AM CST reply actions 0 recs
Very interesting
OU has more people returning than UT, right? JMike, Jamaal, and the DTs are going to be hard to replace. Muschamp should make a big difference but the schedule is also harder.
UT finished 10th this year. It will be tough to improve on that next year.
by Kafka on Jan 8, 2008 9:50 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
From the resident SBN LSU blogger
PB, reading your comments on the heels of our clinching a second national title in five years thanks to this very system, I have to say...I agree with you 100%.
I'd love for us to have played Georgia or USC or Oklahoma or...whomever. In order. Obviously not having the playoff detracts from the legitimacy of any title this year, but we'll take it.
And I'd beg to differ with the poster who thinks we turned in but one dominating performance all year. I thought getting out to a 38-17 lead on a one-loss team with by FAR the best defense in the country (statistically, at least) was pretty dominating as well. All month people mentioned that, when healthy, LSU is the best team in the country. I'd say we did a pretty damn good job of justifying those assertions tonight.
by GeauxTigers on Jan 8, 2008 1:15 AM CST reply actions 0 recs
Congrats on the title
Great season...
by Peter Bean on Jan 8, 2008 1:17 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
BCS BS
I'd love for us to have played Georgia or USC or Oklahoma or...whomever. In order. Obviously not having the playoff detracts from the legitimacy of any title this year, but we'll take it.
Let's not forget OSU was the lock and you guys snuck in. But, as much as it sucks, LSU won in the (broken) system we have so congratulations for that. They did look good last night after they woke up and realized they weren't just showing up for a trophy ceremony.
by Horndogger on Jan 8, 2008 12:56 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
boycott
I boycotted.
Didn't want to contribute to this joke of a system this year. In fact, I don't see how anything will ever change unless the ratings plummet significantly for the BCS games.
by Blitzburgh on Jan 8, 2008 12:15 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Mixed feelings
Like most of you, I'm pretty unsatisfied with how this season turned out and have a hard time awarding a National Title to a team with two losses...but if you think about the MNC as being the team who had the best season and not necessarily being the "Best" team period (as PB stated above), I'd say the BCS worked.
USC and Georgia could probably give LSU a pretty good game right now, but if you take the season on its entirety, I'd say the most deserving team took home the title. Though if tOSU had won, I don't know if I'd be as likely to extend them that acknowledgment, but in the current system, you can only play the teams on your schedule and you can't begrudge a team for taking full advantage of whatever opportunities are afforded them.
That being said, I still have mixed feelings on moving to a play-off system because I don't know that I'd feel any better about a team that went 8-4, got hot at the end, and won the whole thing.
From what I've seen and read, I don't think fans will ever be satisfied unless the team that ends up winning the title goes undefeated with a decent SOS. A play-off would probably ensure a decent SOS for the eventual winner, but I don't know that it would necessarily give us the undisputed "Best" team.
The NFL play-off system has a long history of great teams choking in the early rounds simply because they overlooked their opponent (but of course, that's their fault and not the systems). Still I would imagine the same thing would happen if college went to a play-off system.
My guess is a Plus-1 scenario would be best when you have multiple teams of seeming equal resumes vying for the top two spots. That way the regular season still means something and only those teams who really deserve consideration are there in the end.
Regardless, there just doesn't seem to be an easy solution. If there were, I would imaginge it would have been implemented by now.
Thoughts?
by 54b on Jan 8, 2008 12:59 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
Why plus-1 could be bad
Bowls were designed to reward teams for good/great seasons. When Texas goes to the Alamo Bowl, or whichever bowl, they get pampered by the city, get gifts, go to dinners and have fun walk-thru practices. It's a bowl atmosphere to get ready for a meaningless game as the city showcases itself.
When you ty to apply the Sugar and Orange into a plus-1 system, you have teams that have an entire month to get ready for a national semifinal game that has dinners, gifts, tours, etc. And the winner turns around and plays the other winner a week later in winner-take-all.
A playoff must be done in December. Losers in the playoffs have guaranteed bowl spots. Set it up like D1-AA ... Higher seed hosts home games. If a team truly is hot (Georgia, Kansas) then they would be able to go into places like Baton Rouge, Los Angeles, Columbus and win.
Have a 12-team playoff. Four teams get first-round byes. Those four teams would be teams that played conference title games. Screw USC and Ohio St if they didn't have conf. title games and they were 1 and 2. Give the conf. title game teams a week off.
As for a grueling playoff, I think right now the SEC teams would be best prepared for such a tournament given that they play tough games every week.
The BCS got it right this year. People can complain all they want, but the voter knew to leapfrog LSU all the way to No. 2. They made up 2/3 of the BCS and they got it right. And I'm happy to say the best team with the best resume took the trophy.
As an LSU fan, I can say screw USC. We have two big crystal balls while they have one and think they have another.
by FreedomDip on Jan 8, 2008 5:46 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
I'm not
I was hoping OSU would win because then there would be no doubt they are the number one team in the land. Sure they beat no body, but they dominated every game they played, except one and it wasn't a completely terrible loss. Illinois may have gotten blown out in their bowl game but they didn't lose to an Arkansas team at home that had only one weapon. They didn't lose to one of the worst BCS teams in the country at home. They didn't lose to an average Tennessee squad 38-14. The only major conference team that made the season through with one loss, didn't have a truly bad loss, and beat the team from the best conference in the land.
If OSU won last night, I would have been happy with the ways things worked out. Now, I don't know. I just can't considered a two loss team to be a national champ, just can't. It would have added much more closure to the season if OSU won. Who knows who is the best team in the country. I think it is USC. If USC played LSU, I think they would have routed them.
by seant on Jan 8, 2008 8:07 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Face it -- OSU was the champ of a suck*ss conf
OSU "number one"? How? The Big Ten sucked the big one this year -- bellweather program loses to a 1-AA team (albeit the 1-AA NC), another program loses to a 1-AA team -- both at home! OSU loses to the same Illinois team that started the season by losing to the #2 team in the Big 12, and ends it by getting blown out in their BCS bowl. So what if LSU lost two games -- the SEC is a tough conference, as is the Big 12 -- that is why nine of the top 15 teams in the final poll were from just those two conferences.
The Big Ten, just like the ACC and the Big East, benefit from way too much media fawning from a NY centric press. When they get on the field (except for an awesome WV team), they eat it. ACC champ plays two quality out of conference teams -- gets annihilated in one, and loses to the #3 Big 12 team in another. OSU played NOBODY until they got to the BCS championship, then got what they had coming.
Texas had benefited immensely from the quality of the Big 12. Until the Big Ten stops reading the fawning press and starts playing on a level with the SEC and the Big 12, keeping looking for results like this.
by nvrforget63 on Jan 9, 2008 7:11 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Uh What About Kansas?
"The only major conference team that made the season through with one loss, didn't have a truly bad loss, and beat the team from the best (if by best you mean top 6) conference in the land."-KU
Kansas had a better SOS than USC, yet they couldn't even break the top 5. Kansas beat Colorado (OU couldn't), Oklahoma St., K-State (Texas couldn't beat them at home), and Texas A&M (I wont' mention anything here) on the road. Ohio St. stayed in the top five but they lost to Illinois at home. Illinois lost to Missouri which beat KU on a neutral site. So, KU's only loss was much more impressive than OSU's other loss. Kansas went 7-1 in a much tougher conference and actually beat a top 15 team, which OSU never did. I don't get it. The way you guys don't even mention KU in this discussion...
You'd think this site was Longhorn-centric site or something.
by Blackjackhawk on Jan 9, 2008 7:46 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
You're right...
Kansas does certianly deserve mention in this conversation. Congrats to the Jayhawks on their great season and their Orange Bowl win over the ACC Champ VT (especially when everyone said they were going to get mowed down by said ACC Champ). The Jayhawks did the Big XII proud with that win.
Next year will beintersting in the Big XII. CU, MU, KU, will all be tough; KSU and NU might be tough (we'll see); Texas, OU, OSU and TTU will all be tough as well, and the jury is out on Baylor and A&M with their new coaching hires. The Big XII could resemble and even rival/supplant the SEC next year as far conference strength.
by HornsFan87 on Jan 9, 2008 9:45 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Kansas?
well, if you don't win your conference division, then don't expect much. Kansas wound up about where they belonged, just like Texas did. Frankly, while I am happy that KU planted VT, Missouri deserved to be the Big 12's second BCS team more than KU. It is a tribute to the total strength of the Big 12 that they are four of the top ten teams in the final poll -- and yes, that includes KU.
by nvrforget63 on Jan 9, 2008 12:03 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Flawed
OSU was NOT the only major conference team to finish with one loss ... try Kansas.
As for hoping for OSU to win, well you can hope in one hand and piss in the other and see which one fills up faster. Sure, LSU lost to Arkansas and Kentucky. It took three overtimes in each case. It's not like they got run off the field either time. And it took herculean efforts by Heisman runner-up and former heisman hopeful (Woodson) to do it against an (at the time) ailing LSU defense that played a murderous schedule.
Imagine Texas-OU four straight weeks and then Tech sprinkled in before another Texas-OU game. That's what it's like to play in the SEC.
Maybe it's just a coincidence that the SEC has won three of the last five BCS titles and none of those were undefeated squads. The only unscathed SEC team this decade was a 13-0 Auburn team (2004) that had Jason Campbell, Cadillac, Ronnie Brown and the No. 1 defense in the land. They didn't even get to play for the title or else it could have been four of the last five BCS titles.
LSU would have loved to played USC in that game. Not only to settle the 2003 issue but this year's as well. But hindsight's 20/20. You can't lose to a 41-point underdog at home that's using a backup QB.
by FreedomDip on Jan 9, 2008 4:48 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Welcome back and congrats FD
This is the new, cockier FD. Did you go to NO?
Between following Texas and LSU, you've had a pretty good 5 years.
by Wells on Jan 9, 2008 9:28 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Thanks Wells
I watched the game from my couch in Austin like I did eight other times this year. The gumbo was made, the bourbon was poured and the voodoo dolls were in full force.
I even wore a little eye black during the game.
For LSU, this is the best it's ever been. Ever. Just wish the ole man was still alive to enjoy the last few seasons. I grew up listening to games on the radio with him and taking one visit a year to Tiger Stadium.
New Orleans was a madhouse I heard. Bigger crowds than mardi gras.
And damn, I didn't come off as cocky did I?
by FreedomDip on Jan 10, 2008 12:38 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Not too cocky
but everybody should have a little swagger after winning the national championship.
I was meaning to ask you, what is your opinion of Les Miles now? Are you happy that he is apparently going to be coaching there for the rest of his career or are you worried about being stuck with him?
by Wells on Jan 10, 2008 12:45 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Mixed feelings
I was in Baton Rouge the day after the Arkansas loss and the whole town just assumed he take the Michigan job. He had wasted the talent and the team's best shot at winning a national title in its backyard. That Saturday was a day of mourning in Baton Rouge. fans weren't running him out of town but they didn't care if he left. Make sense?
Now that he got the team back in the hunt, won a title and professed his intentions to stay, everybody likes him. It's tough to win in the SEC. Spurrier only won one title. Fulmer just one. Saban one. Miles one. He showed a lot of moxy and his team believes in him. The team likes the balls-to-the-walls strategy he employed.
Are LSU fans happy? Well, in three years he's got a conference title, two SEC West division titles, a Sugar Bowl win, a Peach Bowl win and a national title win (2 BCS wins in 3 years). Call it being stuck with him, but LSU could be stuck with a lot worse.
He's shown he can consistently win in this conference regardless if it's JaMarcus, Matt Flynn or Perriloux. He did it without the star receiver all year and Dorsey playing hurt. I'll take the Riverboat Gambling Miles. And I think many colleges would love to have him now.
by FreedomDip on Jan 10, 2008 2:42 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
OSU dominated every game??????
the best and most accurate thing I've heard all year was some talking head (and sorry, I don't even remember which one...) who said at the end of the year that people were "voting for laundry".
Put Ohio State uniforms (and the corresponding history and media coverage) on Kansas and tell me where they'd have ended up. What specifically did Ohio State do to demonstrate they were better than Kansas this year? Anything???
They dominated some truly abysmal teams. So did KU. They lost to a mediocre team - KU lost to a good one. Through the regular season, KU played at least an equal schedule, if not a harder one, and ended up with the same record. Admittedly, OSU played a tougher bowl opponent, but I hardly think they're hanging their hats on that one...
It's a crappy way to determine a champion, that's for sure. Best strategy in the current system is to be known as a top program, and schedule all the wins you can... hey, that sounds familiar...
Anybody who hates the idea of fairly inclusive playoffs should have to forfeit the right to complain when Dodds lines up the weakest schedule he can get away with.
by agent orange on Jan 9, 2008 8:26 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
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