LSU vs. Alabama: Opposed to a BCS Rematch? Remember Super Bowl XLII?

After the first LSU vs. Alabama game, it seemed that team after team went down, losing their chances at the BCS National Championship. This opened the door for Alabama and LSU to square off again.

This championship game matches up arguably the two best NCAA teams, which is what the BCS system is intended to do. 

Before the final BCS standings were released, it was assumed that Oklahoma State would be the odd man out. It seemed to be the easy thing to do—to snub OSU and set up the rematch. 

After their Fiesta Bowl win against Stanford, Oklahoma State likely feels even more strongly that they belonged in the BCS National Championship. 

There are two groups of people who oppose the rematch of Alabama vs. LSU: Oklahoma State fans and critics who do not want to see a rematch in general.

But the first matchup between the Tigers and Tide was the second-highest-viewed college game on CBS since 1987. There are still a lot of people who want to see these two teams battle again. 

Perhaps the rematch draws criticism because there were no touchdowns scored in the teams' first meeting, a 9-6 overtime win by LSU. College football fans are accustomed to high-powered offenses and this game was a defensive battle. This season's bowl games are a perfect example of these high-scoring games.

Despite the opposition, the rematch will happen Monday night.

To everyone who does not like rematches, I remind everyone of Super Bowl XLII.  

The New England Patriots and New York Giants played each other in an exciting game in Week 17 of the 2007 regular season, as the Patriots escaped with a 38-35 win to go 16-0 in the regular season.  A little over a month later, the world saw one of the greatest Super Bowls ever played, with the Patriots going for a perfect 19-0.

The rematch between the Patriots and Giants made for an all-time classic game. The Giants trailed 7-3 at halftime, keeping it close by forcing a Tom Brady fumble in Giants territory with 22 seconds left in the half. The two teams were scoreless in the third quarter, before finding their rhythms in the final 12 minutes.

Eli Manning led the Giants on a seven-play, 80-yard drive, resulting in a five-yard touchdown pass from Manning to David Tyree that gave the Giants a 10-7 lead.

Brady started the next scoring drive with 7:54 left to play in the game and finished it with 2:42 remaining. It was an 80-yard drive that gave the Patriots a 14-10 lead with only minutes remaining. 

The Giants started on their own 17-yard line. They barely were able to keep the drive alive at certain points, having to successfully convert a 4th-and-1 in their own territory. Later in the drive, Manning avoided the rushing Patriots on 3rd-and-5 and made the play that everyone remembers today.

Tyree made a one-handed grab, pinning the ball against his helmet, for 32 yards. Manning continued to make pivotal completions on the drive, ending it with a 13-yard pass to Plaxico Burress in the end zone. The Giants took the 17-14 lead with 35 seconds remaining and never looked back.

It was a story that no one could have scripted, but one that everyone will talk about for years to come. At no point during that game was anyone thinking, "This game is terrible because it's a rematch." The first game was amazing, and the second was even better.

The first game between Alabama and LSU was not a blowout—it was a three-point game. If LSU had destroyed Alabama, it would be a bit easier to understand why fans would not want to see the two teams square off again.

But they didn't blow them out.

Anything can happen in the national championship game; if LSU is the best team in the nation, then they will prove it on Monday night. If Alabama is truly the second-best team in the country, then they will keep it close and potentially have a chance to win the game.

If Alabama wins the BCS National Championship, it would be hard to argue that the two best teams did not make it to the title game. If we can't have a playoff system, then we have to make sure the two best teams play each other.

LSU and Alabama are more often than not considered to be the two best teams in the nation. Some may not want to see the matchup again, but no one wants to see a team that should be in the title game left out simply because it would be a rematch.

No. 2 Alabama faces No. 1 LSU on Monday, January 9, at 8:30 p.m.