some notes from it:
In a lot of ways, they're mirror images of each other, and they really haven't been pushed all season.
The closest anyone has come to Alabama is 16 points.
The closest anyone has come to LSU is 13 points.
The Crimson Tide have won their four SEC games by a combined margin of 162-27.
The Tigers have won their past four games, including a trip to No. 15 West Virginia, by a combined margin of 161-46.
Between them, they've faced seven nationally ranked teams, and their combined average margin of victory in those seven games is 21.4 points.
Already, NFL scouts are drooling. The two starting defenses alone could produce as many as 16 or 17 NFL draft picks.
And speaking of defense, there aren't two better, deeper or more talented defensive units in the country.
[h=4]SEC blog[/h]
ESPN.com's Chris Low and Edward Aschoff write about all things SEC football in the conferenceblog.
Alabama ranks No. 1 nationally in just about all the key defensive categories, and LSU isn't too far behind. The Tigers are No. 4 in total defense, No. 6 in rushing defense and No. 7 in scoring defense.
Nobody talks a whole lot about the two offenses, but Alabama junior running back Trent Richardson is a tackle-breaking machine who turns 5-yard runs into 65-yard touchdown runs.
LSU doesn't have a player quite that explosive. Then again, who does?
[h=4]But If You Had To Choose …[/h]
<cite class="source" style="margin-top: 2px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 10px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; font: normal normal normal 11px/normal Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 12px; color: rgb(153, 153, 153); font-style: normal; display: block; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">By Edward Aschoff
ESPN.com</cite>
Alabama will play in and win the national championship.
So it has been written. So it will be done.
(LSU) You are the girl that I would love to date, but Alabama is the one I'd marry.
Hey, Alabama.
What else can I really say about you? You have arguably the best player in the country, running back Trent Richardson, who ran to Tupelo, Miss., and back against Ole Miss last week and is 89 yards away from breaking 1,000.
Of course, I can't forget Oklahoma. I actually like the Sooners. Good speed, tough defense. Oklahoma, you remind me of some of the teams down in SEC country.
The key word is "remind," meaning you aren't quite there. I don't think that Big 12 speed matches Alabama's. Sure, you could hold up for a while. I'll give you three quarters, but if you have to go all four against Alabama's front seven, your offensive line will wear down. If you have to try to slow Richardson down an entire game, your defensive line will wear down.
Pretty much, you'll wear down regardless.
So I thank the rest of the country for showing up, but we have our national champ. Feel free to finish out the season and send someone down to New Orleans in January, but cherish those bowl gifts because that's all you're getting, outside of Tide-induced pain.
Maybe you can get an autograph or two out of it.
http://espn.go.com/ncf/notebook/_/page/bcscase/state-your-case-bcs-contenders
In a lot of ways, they're mirror images of each other, and they really haven't been pushed all season.
The closest anyone has come to Alabama is 16 points.
The closest anyone has come to LSU is 13 points.
The Crimson Tide have won their four SEC games by a combined margin of 162-27.
The Tigers have won their past four games, including a trip to No. 15 West Virginia, by a combined margin of 161-46.
Between them, they've faced seven nationally ranked teams, and their combined average margin of victory in those seven games is 21.4 points.
Already, NFL scouts are drooling. The two starting defenses alone could produce as many as 16 or 17 NFL draft picks.
And speaking of defense, there aren't two better, deeper or more talented defensive units in the country.
[h=4]SEC blog[/h]
Alabama ranks No. 1 nationally in just about all the key defensive categories, and LSU isn't too far behind. The Tigers are No. 4 in total defense, No. 6 in rushing defense and No. 7 in scoring defense.
Nobody talks a whole lot about the two offenses, but Alabama junior running back Trent Richardson is a tackle-breaking machine who turns 5-yard runs into 65-yard touchdown runs.
LSU doesn't have a player quite that explosive. Then again, who does?
[h=4]But If You Had To Choose …[/h]
<cite class="source" style="margin-top: 2px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; font-size: 10px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; font: normal normal normal 11px/normal Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 12px; color: rgb(153, 153, 153); font-style: normal; display: block; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; ">By Edward Aschoff
ESPN.com</cite>
Alabama will play in and win the national championship.
So it has been written. So it will be done.
(LSU) You are the girl that I would love to date, but Alabama is the one I'd marry.
Hey, Alabama.
What else can I really say about you? You have arguably the best player in the country, running back Trent Richardson, who ran to Tupelo, Miss., and back against Ole Miss last week and is 89 yards away from breaking 1,000.
Of course, I can't forget Oklahoma. I actually like the Sooners. Good speed, tough defense. Oklahoma, you remind me of some of the teams down in SEC country.
The key word is "remind," meaning you aren't quite there. I don't think that Big 12 speed matches Alabama's. Sure, you could hold up for a while. I'll give you three quarters, but if you have to go all four against Alabama's front seven, your offensive line will wear down. If you have to try to slow Richardson down an entire game, your defensive line will wear down.
Pretty much, you'll wear down regardless.
So I thank the rest of the country for showing up, but we have our national champ. Feel free to finish out the season and send someone down to New Orleans in January, but cherish those bowl gifts because that's all you're getting, outside of Tide-induced pain.
Maybe you can get an autograph or two out of it.
http://espn.go.com/ncf/notebook/_/page/bcscase/state-your-case-bcs-contenders
