BCS Rankings: How a Plus-One System Could Have Cleared Up Any Title Doubt

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Alabama and LSU played in the 2012 BCS Championship Game on Monday night. The game was a rematch of a November 5 game between the two teams.

LSU won the first meeting in overtime, 9-6. And of course, Alabama secured a solid 21-0 victory on Monday.

But, the game was very controversial. First of all, LSU was terrible. They certainly didn't look like a team that went 13-0 in the regular season.

And secondly, Alabama might not have deserved to play in the game. Oklahoma State could have very easily been chosen for the game.

A plus-one playoff system would have solved all these issues. A plus-one system would involve the No. 1 team (LSU) playing the No. 4 team (Stanford) and the No. 2 team (Alabama) playing the No. 3 team (Oklahoma State). Then, the two winners would play each other to decide the true champion.

Let's take a look at how the plus-one system would have played out this season.

No. 1 LSU vs. No. 4 Stanford

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Alabama found a major weakness in the LSU defense on Monday night: Tyrann Mathieu isn't very good in coverage.

A.J. McCarron exploited that weakness all night, getting the Crimson Tide in field goal range seven times.

You can't tell me that a quarterback as good as Andrew Luck of Stanford wouldn't have put the ball in the end zone at least twice against a great LSU defense.

And, with the way LSU's offense performed against Alabama, I wouldn't expect much to change for the Tigers.

Prediction: Stanford 17, LSU 9

No. 2 Alabama vs. No. 3 Oklahoma State

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Alabama has the best college defense I've seen in my lifetime.

Still, LSU's offense was putrid on Monday night. An offense as potent as Oklahoma State's would definitely put up some points on the Tide.

But, with Oklahoma State's weaker defense, the Tide would have put up more points as well.

This game would have featured the two best teams in college football this year and would have been a de facto national championship.

In the end though, Trent Richardson would have worn down the Cowboy defense, giving the Tide a tough victory and a chance to play Stanford in the title game.

Prediction: Alabama 34, Oklahoma State 27

National Championship: No. 2 Alabama vs. No. 4 Stanford

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Yes, Alabama would have still won the championship, but it would have felt more deserved.

They would have had to play Oklahoma State and fans would have avoided what many felt was an undeserved rematch.

Andrew Luck would have put up some points against Alabama, but it wouldn't be enough.

After all, Stanford's defense isn't nearly as good as Alabama's. We saw what happened when the Cardinal took on an elite running back (LaMichael James). It wouldn't be that different against Trent Richardson.

This game would have been a legitimate defensive struggle, rather than an offensive meltdown.

Prediction: Alabama 24, Stanford 13

Benefits of the Plus-One

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The plus-one system would have eliminated any sort of argument about who should have won the BCS National Championship Game.

It would have allowed Alabama and Oklahoma State to battle it out for a chance to be in the big game, instead of having to allow computers to tell us who deserved a chance more.

Then, LSU's offensive ineptitude would have been exposed by Stanford, providing a close, entertaining game, and also preventing a boring, painful national championship game.

The team that deserved the trophy most (Alabama) would have still won in the end. They just would have had to earn it slightly more.

The plus-one system would have solved every problem with the BCS this season. Hopefully, they can install it in time for next season.

Potential Plus-One Rankings for 2012

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How could a plus-one system shape up next year? Let's take a look at one potential scenario:

No. 1 USC vs. No. 4 Oregon

No. 2 Alabama vs. No. 3 LSU

That would be riveting to watch. Two Pac-12 rivals and two SEC rivals playing for a shot at the National Championship game would be great TV and it might just salvage the BCS after all.