LSU has a chance to complete the most impressive college football season in BCS history.
It won’t be an easy task. With No. 12 Georgia waiting at the Georgia Dome in the SEC title game and a likely rematch with No. 2 Alabama for the BCS championship, LSU’s path would be unmatched by any past national champion if it wins out.
If No. 8 Oregon, which is favored by more than 30 points, is able to defeat UCLA in the Pac-12 title game and No. 22 West Virginia is able to win the Big East in a convoluted tiebreaker situation, then LSU would have wins over two BCS conference champions.
In the SEC — by far the toughest conference of the country — the Tigers defeated the Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa and routed No. 6 Arkansas last week 41-17.
Oregon, West Virginia, Alabama and Arkansas have a combined 39-4 record this season in games against teams not named LSU.
The Tigers have three wins over teams ranked in the top three in the country at the time of the game.
And if the BCS title game is a rematch against Alabama, LSU will have a chance to do something no other BCS champion has done: beat the second-best team in the country twice.
The Tigers may not be getting some of the same praise as elite teams of the past because they lack a Heisman Trophy candidate, had two different starting quarterbacks this season and dealt with suspensions of some of their top players throughout the year.
There isn’t a face of the team or a memorable moment that will resonate for years to come, and the Tigers’ playmakers are mostly on the defensive side of the ball.
But if LSU is able to complete this season undefeated, no past team will be able to match the resume the Tigers have built this year.
– Jeffrey Tomik
