(Image Source: The Advocate)
BY MATT NOONAN
After weeks of speculation, it’s official.
The BCS National Championship will showcase a rematch between Alabama and LSU in an all SEC title game. ESPN analyst Brad Edwards says in this case, the BCS got it right by picking Alabama over Oklahoma State.
“It’s not just how good you are at your best, it’s how bad you are at your worst. If I look at Alabama sitting at #2, how bad were they at their worst? They lost at home to the #1 team in the country. But when you look at Oklahoma State you lose-- although it was on the road -- to Iowa State. Those losses really just don’t compare in my mind. So when you do the evaluation, I think you have to look at something like that.”
Not everyone agrees with Edwards. Sports Illustrated writer Stewart Mandel writes despite the loss to Iowa State, the Cowboys have a much better resume than the Crimson Tide.
“Oklahoma State beat its seventh opponent with a winning record and its fifth that was ranked in last week's BCS Top 25. By comparison, Alabama can claim three and two, respectively... The SEC has earned the right to go for a sixth straight crown. The Cowboys have earned the opportunity to represent the rest of the field.”
The public seems to agree with Mandel.
An ESPN Sportsnation poll shows that that 68% of more than 275 thousand respondents think Oklahoma State should be in the BCS National Championship instead of Alabama. Only four states didn’t vote for the Cowboys: Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Kentucky -- which all feature SEC teams.
An all Southeastern Conference national championship has drawn the ire of many fans around the nation. But Rivals.com writer Dan Wetzel writes, ironically, this situation may not have happened if other conferences would have listened to the SEC 3 years ago.
“In 2008, [SEC] commissioner Mike Slive pitched a so-called “plus-one” plan that essentially was a four-team playoff using existing bowl games. Other than the ACC, the other conferences not only summarily rejected the plan, they refused to even discuss its details. Sticking with a simple 1-2 matchup in the BCS title game has proven to be a boon for the SEC and a disaster for just about everyone else.”
That disaster has created a lot of hard feelings around the college football world. FOX Sports analyst Thayer Evans says if you’re hoping the SEC’s dominance will end anytime soon, keep dreaming.
“And now that its no longer taboo that two teams from the same conference that have already played each other, can play once again in the BCS title game, you better get used to it. Because Alabama-LSU Part 2 for the National Championship is just the beginning of real SEC domination”
The BCS National Championship will be played on January 9th in New Orleans.
Transcript By Newsy.
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