theprofessor Posted November 12, 2007 Share Posted November 12, 2007 (edited) A BCS prayer: Oh, Lord, please block LSU’s pathJOHN MCGRATH; THE NEWS TRIBUNE Published: November 11th, 2007 01:00 AM As I was watching Illinois quarterback Juice Williams do everything to Ohio State on Saturday but take out a sousaphone and dot the “i” in the middle of The Horseshoe, I found myself wondering: What was it about the Buckeyes that made them No. 1? Their shutdown defense? (Williams threw four touchdown passes and scrambled for two crucial first downs on third-and-long during the Illini’s time-killing drive in the fourth quarter.) What about Ohio State’s poised, 23-year-old quarterback? (Todd Boeckman threw 13 passes caught by his teammates, and three others to guys he’s never met.) Did the ranking have anything to do with the Buckeyes’ status as the presumptive Big Ten champions? (Hardly. The league is an off-year cycle that has reduced next week’s OSU-Michigan showdown to an afterthought.) What about their nonconference victories against Youngstown State, Akron and Washington? (After silencing the lambs in two warm-up games in Columbus, Ohio State was outplayed by the UW in the first half at Husky Stadium. The Buckeyes prevailed, and it wasn’t close, but few fans left Montlake that day convinced they had seen the No. 1 team in the nation.) If nothing else, Ohio State represented the last traditional college football power with a perfect record in 2007. It was ranked No. 1 because, well, it looked the part. Even the computers were able to digest that subjective nuance. Now that the Buckeyes have joined the ranks of the flawed and vulnerable, the national championship picture is, once again, a mess with the distinct odor of a barnyard. Thanks, Bucks! With Ohio State removed from the mix, Louisiana State figures to inherit the No. 1 position in the Bowl Championship Series standings. The Tigers are stocked with talent. They also are penalty prone, susceptible to goofy calls sent in from the sideline and needed faith-healing miracles to hold off Florida and Auburn. LSU opened America’s eyes with a 45-0 trouncing of Mississippi State on the road, then pounded overhyped Virginia Tech in its home opener. The Tigers’ other nonconference opponents? Middle Tennessee State, Tulane and, on Saturday night, Louisiana Tech. During a seven-week stretch through the heart of the season – between Sept. 9 and Oct. 27 – LSU was required to leave Louisiana for one game, at Kentucky. It lost, 43-37. The more I hear about the supposed supremacy of LSU and the Southeastern Conference, the more I suspect we’re all being duped. Yes, the league boasts an abundance of 90,000-seat stadiums and the most passionate football fans this side of the Atlantic. But SEC dominance is merely the product of a formula: Fatten up your record against punching-bag teams representing schools whose administrators are anxious for a payday in a 90,000-seat stadium, then go .500 in the conference. OK, Auburn beat Kansas State, and Georgia beat Oklahoma State. But when Tennessee made a rare – make that historic – trip to the West Coast in September, a 45-31 thumping at California reminded the Volunteers why young men might want to think twice about going west. For every California, Kansas State or Oklahoma State on an SEC team’s schedule, there’s a bottomless supply of Troy, West Carolina, Louisiana-Lafayette, Tennessee Tech, Eastern Kentucky, Alabama-Birmingham and Florida Atlantic. Mississippi State, which became bowl eligible with its upset of Alabama on Saturday, counts a thrashing of Gardner-Webb among its six victories. And yet the league could send as many as 11 teams to bowl games this season. That probably won’t happen – I’d like to think there’s some federal interstate commerce law prohibiting such a farce – but it’s a certainty that eight or nine SEC teams will be rewarded with a bonus game. As for LSU, its road to the national championship is three lanes wide with no traffic. The Tigers will conclude their schedule with a road game at Ole Miss, a home game against Arkansas and a date in the SEC title game. If all goes according to chalk, LSU will earn a ticket to the national championship game, to be played in – where else? – New Orleans. The Tigers’ opponent could be Oregon, which will move up a notch in the BCS standings after a bye week. Les Miles, the LSU coach, volunteered some fodder for a Pac-10-SEC matchup in the BCS title game when he projected (as everybody else did) Southern California in the equation. “They have a much easier road to travel,” Miles told a New Orleans radio station in July. “They’re going to play real knockdown drag-outs with UCLA and Washington, Cal-Berkeley, Stanford – some real juggernauts there… “I would like that path for us. I think the SEC provides much tougher competition.” Oregon might be next in line, but what if Kansas concludes an unbeaten season with a victory in the Big 12 championship game against Oklahoma? Heck, what if Missouri beats Kansas and avenges its only defeat – the Tigers lost to the Sooners, 41-31, in Norman – by beating OU on a neutral field? The annual BCS cluster bunching is so out of control in 2007, I’m left with only a prayer. Dear God: Please give LSU a test before the Tigers make their anticipated appearance in the national championship game. P.S. Would it be possible to arrange for a real juggernaut? Middle Tennessee St., Tulane and Louisiana Tech? If there are multiple 1 loss teams at the end of November LSU should be on the outside looking in Edited November 12, 2007 by theprofessor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilfish2 Posted November 12, 2007 Share Posted November 12, 2007 Jealousy is a bad evil... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Ryan Posted November 12, 2007 Share Posted November 12, 2007 couldnt have said it better myself. LSU is an average football team, stocked with great talent. Their coach is an idiot, thus they are not well coached. They are undisciplined, and play all of these so called tough games at home. Geez, can we stop feeling sorry for Hurricane Katrina refugee's at this point. Make their team play someone, anyone who is top 5 worthy. Just one. Please...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbimm Posted November 12, 2007 Share Posted November 12, 2007 couldnt have said it better myself. LSU is an average football team, stocked with great talent. Their coach is an idiot, thus they are not well coached. They are undisciplined, and play all of these so called tough games at home. Geez, can we stop feeling sorry for Hurricane Katrina refugee's at this point. Make their team play someone, anyone who is top 5 worthy. Just one. Please...... Baton Rouge was a temporary home to refugees. Was not directly affected by the storm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilfish2 Posted November 12, 2007 Share Posted November 12, 2007 Geez, can we stop feeling sorry for Hurricane Katrina refugee's at this point. Sarge, this is too low, I would think you were a better person than this..... You have lost all respect from me.... Very Sad comment.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Ryan Posted November 12, 2007 Share Posted November 12, 2007 Sarge, this is too low, I would think you were a better person than this..... You have lost all respect from me.... Very Sad comment.... Sorry dude, but its getting ridiculous the love this team is getting. There has to be more to it than their play on the field. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GWPFFL BrianW Posted November 12, 2007 Share Posted November 12, 2007 I do agree, pointing at wins over ranked teams just doesn't impress me. LSU may very well win it all this year, but I will never be able to look back 10 years from now and say, wow now THAT was a team. But LSU fans will be happy, and rightfully so. I just wouldn't expect to see them in the conversation for which team was the greatest ever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Ryan Posted November 12, 2007 Share Posted November 12, 2007 I do agree, pointing at wins over ranked teams just doesn't impress me. LSU may very well win it all this year, but I will never be able to look back 10 years from now and say, wow now THAT was a team. But LSU fans will be happy, and rightfully so. I just wouldn't expect to see them in the conversation for which team was the greatest ever. Whoever wins the Big 12, is more deserving than LSU. And it isnt even close. the Big 12, has 3 teams right now in the top 5, and all 3 could beat LSU, as could about a half dozen other. LSU is lucky it plays all its games at home. And even luckier to escape vs clearly inferior talent. Bama just got punked Ole Miss, and LSU couldnt shake Bama until the final minutes, trailing late. This trend has been repeated over and over. From Florida, to Kentucky, to Auburn, to Bama. The fact those teams are sh*t right now shouldnt boost LSU's SOS a bit. On top of that, this team played La tech, M tenn St, and Tulane in non conference. A complete joke of a schedule. If those fraud SEC school were where they should be in the rankings, 20-40 instead of where they were, LSU would be #5 right now in the BCS. And read this little nugget by Les Miles "Our guys understand what being ranked is about certainly at this point in the year," LSU coach Les Miles said. "Now, we are highly ranked again. That ranking happens to be No. 1. They understand what it means." So his team didnt know what beign ranked meant earlier in the year. How stupid is this guy. http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3105726 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockerbraves Posted November 12, 2007 Share Posted November 12, 2007 Enjoyed the read. Problem is I can't figure out if he thinks LSU should play Oregon or Kansas. It's still early, however if all the top teams win the next couple of weekends it will be interesting to see if the Big 12 can overtake the Pac 10. To be honest if I was a Duck fan I would be worried. Kansas wins out they will almost certainly jump the Oregon Ducks especially if Ohio State beats Michigan. Also if your a Duck fan then you know Oklahoma is right behind you. IF the Sooners enter the Big 12 Championship as a one loss team and get an opportunity to beat an undefeated Kansas team that also could spell trouble for the Ducks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Ryan Posted November 13, 2007 Share Posted November 13, 2007 (edited) Enjoyed the read. Problem is I can't figure out if he thinks LSU should play Oregon or Kansas. It's still early, however if all the top teams win the next couple of weekends it will be interesting to see if the Big 12 can overtake the Pac 10. To be honest if I was a Duck fan I would be worried. Kansas wins out they will almost certainly jump the Oregon Ducks especially if Ohio State beats Michigan. Also if your a Duck fan then you know Oklahoma is right behind you. IF the Sooners enter the Big 12 Championship as a one loss team and get an opportunity to beat an undefeated Kansas team that also could spell trouble for the Ducks. Oregon is more deserving than LSU. They have beaten a legit top 10 team this yr. And in the end, SC will be a 2nd top 10 team. End of the season LSU wont have beaten a top 10 team, and will avoid the best team in the SEC, GA. OU will have beaten 2 top 10 teams, or the same top 10 team twice to win the Big 12. Kansas or Missouri will have beaten 2 top 10 teams just to win the Big 12. LSU wont have to beat one all yr, when Va Tech loses to another patsie, and they are #1. Get real, these rankings are bogus as hell, as was the case, of every SEC team this yr, that just gets b*tch slapped by some other patsie SEC team every other week. And LSU wont win the NC game in their own backyard, no matter the opponent. So in the end, we will have a more deserving team not playing in the NC game, if LSU backs into the game. This would be the perfect yr for a +1. LSU loses to whoever it plays in the top 4. Then we have a real NC game, with the best 2 teams in the country. Edited November 13, 2007 by Sgt. Ryan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockerbraves Posted November 14, 2007 Share Posted November 14, 2007 Oregon is more deserving than LSU. They have beaten a legit top 10 team this yr. And in the end, SC will be a 2nd top 10 team. End of the season LSU wont have beaten a top 10 team, and will avoid the best team in the SEC, GA. Sooners seemed to have dodged Kansas this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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