Alabama Football: Oklahoma State's Loss Could Be Deadly Distraction for Tide

Oklahoma State finally lost. It wasn't in the Bedlam Series, but it was bedlam. The Cowboys traveled to battle the Iowa State Cyclones and came away losers in double overtime.

Those Cyclones seem to have a knack for winning games they have no business winning, but their resume tells me that they are a real football team. They've had big wins over Texas Tech (who beat Oklahoma) and Iowa.  

So that's it, right? 'Bama is going to rematch with LSU? They'll undoubtedly be No. 2 in the polls on Sunday, don't you think?

Not so fast, my friend.

Today the Tide play their only FCS (Division I-A) opponent, the Georgia Southern Eagles. Did I just say FCS opponent? Heck yeah, bring out the benchwarmers!

Again, not so fast.

Georgia Southern may be an FCS opponent, but they are ranked first in the Southern Conference. Their only loss was a close one against traditional FCS powerhouse Appalachian State, and it was a close one.

Many of their other opponents weren't so lucky. Georgia Southern ran all over them, quite literally. They have won eight games with over 30 points, including a 62-point win over Tusculum. They are playing like a team that doesn't belong in the FCS.

As of right now, Georgia Southern is ranked No. 2 in the FCS polls, and just might play in the FCS National Championship Game if they make it through the playoffs. Yes, the FCS has a playoff system.

They also received a vote in the AP Top 25. That's right, an FCS school got a vote with the big boys of college football.

They also run the triple option offense. This alone can pose a problem for Alabama. The Tide has shown a weakness against the option, which was exposed by LSU. It likely wont be enough, but if Alabama has any slip-ups on defense the Eagles will do their best to make them pay.

Georgia Southern head coach Jeff Monken praised the Alabama team, and more than anything appreciates the chance to let his guys play against such a great team in an incredible venue. He summed it all up by saying, "Our kids are excited about the opportunity".

As a FCS school, the Eagles are a great team, but they likely wont win against the Crimson Tide. This is an attitude the fans can have, but the players do not have that luxury.

The renewed hope to play for the BCS National Championship Game—and maybe even the SEC Championship—is still in terrible danger, even if the Tide wins its last two games.

Anything less than an utterly convincing win with no struggles against a FCS opponent will not be enough to keep the Tide ahead of Oregon in the polls. Oregon beat Stanford in Stanford in a blowout win.

Oregon is also going to play in their conference championship; can Alabama say the same?

Nick Saban has certainly batted down the floating dreams of the Crimson Tide players and reminded them that they are playing Georgia Southern today in Tuscaloosa, not LSU in New Orleans.