Originally posted by LSUTIGER21:
1137,
You are a respected poster on this site and we appreciate your non-flaming honesty that your provide. I get along with Bama fans. I've always enjoyed interacting with them and despite the opinions of many here, I find Bama fans and LSU fans generally have the most in common compared to other SEC schools.
I'm on record before the first game saying that I was against a rematch. We were both really good this year. In most years both teams run the table and become undefeated National Champs. I said before the first game that I was againts a playoff because it wasn't fair to the winner of the first game to have to beat a very good football team twice. Even though there were plenty of Bama fans who agreed with me (granted, they thought they would win the first game) before the first game was played, I can't seem to find any that agree with that now. Knowing your fanbase better than I, what do you think the opinion would of most Alabama fans would be if the roles were reversed? If Bama had won the first game, and LSU had beaten them in the Championship game, how many Bama fans would be saying top 2 teams should be playing?
Personally, I think it should be top 2 teams, unless it forces a rematch and there is a comparable team available. Now if Bama had been the only 1 loss team, then I would have been ok with that. But I think it was very unfair for us to have to beat a great team twice and I also think it was unfair to Ok ST. Granted, I don't think they beat either one of us, but I still believe they deserved a chance to try.
I appreciate it man.
I'm not a fan of rematches either but it doesn't seem right to penalize the losing team because "people don't like rematches" when the majority of people think those two teams are the best two. Clearly LSU and Bama were and just because Okie St didn't have an opportunity to lose to LSU in the regular season doesn't mean they earned the right to lose to them in the post season.
If Bama had lost to Vanderbilt and didn't play LSU and Okie St's only loss was to unbeaten #1 ranked LSU, they too would have deserved the title shot. Under that scenario, I couldn't say Bama and LSU would have been the best two teams in the country with a straight face if we had lost to Vandy and I think it's probable that Vandy is a better team than Iowa St. I think that's really what we saw from Okie St fans. I don't think many of them actually believed they were better than Bama or LSU and frankly, a team that plays in a conference that has done what the SEC has done over the last 5 years (now 6) deserves the benefit of the doubt in a scenario like this one.
If the roles were reversed, that would suck period. I wouldn't have liked the rematch but I wouldn't have felt like LSU didn't have a legit claim to be in the game if most people believed they were the 2nd best team in the nation. IMO, and people can agree or disagree as is their right, the title game should be between the two best teams period, every single time, and nothing should EVER stop that even if they played twice before. It's not about seeing new match-ups....it's about determining the best and our system doesn't allow for every top 10 team to play all the others nor can it. At some point a judgement will have to be made. It's the best system we've ever had but it's not perfect.
I understand some Okie St fans feeling like they got cheated out of a chance but you don't earn a spot in the title game by having the foresight not to play the #1 team during the regular season. No one, and I mean no one believes that Okie St would have beaten LSU in the regular season or in the title game (save the team division I think we saw on 1/09/12). I think LSU would have beaten Okie St like a drum and of course I believe we would have too. If I believe that, why would I ever be OK with Okie St replacing us or, in the hypothetical you offered, a LSU team who lost only to undefeated Bama.
People may not have liked it and I get that but the voters got it right. There was no perfect scenario because of all that happened but I honestly believe the BCS got it right.
Bottom line, as much as it would have pained me, flip the scenario and I would have wanted and even expected a 1 loss LSU team to play Bama over a 1 loss Okie St team who lost to Iowa St. Not because I like rematches but because it would have been a lie to call Okie St #2 imo.