LSU vs. Alabama: Fans of Offense Will Still Enjoy 2012 BCS Championship Game

For those of you (like me) who were sorely disappointed that the high-flying Oklahoma State Cowboys did not make it to No. 2 in the final BCS Standings, you can console yourself by understanding that the LSU Tigers and Alabama Crimson Tide will put on a better show this time around.

There is a palpable feeling of disappointment in college football fans across the country with the 2012 BCS National Championship Game, which presents the first rematch in BCS history. This season's second game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and LSU Tigers is not only a rematch, but a rematch of a game that didn't yield a single touchdown the first time around. Defense is boring, and most fans are not looking forward to another 9-6 game.

However, I think we can be almost certain that this edition of LSU vs. Alabama will offer many more offensive highlights than the first game did on November 5th.

Two Potent Offenses

Both the Alabama Crimson Tide and LSU Tigers have talented offenses loaded with playmakers. Alabama has an almost certain Top 10 pick in the 2012 NFL Draft in Trent Richardson, along with two accomplished wide receivers in Marquis Maze and Darius Hanks. LSU has an elusive and athletic quarterback in Jordan Jefferson, along with a stable of running backs and a talented receiver in Rueben Randle.

Plenty of people think that these two SEC juggernauts are all D, since they rank first and second in the country in total and scoring defense, but both teams also rank in the Top 20 in the country in scoring offense (LSU is 11th, Alabama is 16th). Also, both teams put up a lot of points against the other good defenses they faced.

Alabama put up 27 against the Penn State Nittany Lions' No. 5-ranked scoring defense, and scored 38 against the Florida Gators' No. 25-ranked scoring defense.

LSU scored 41 against those same Gators, and also posted 42 against the Georgia Bulldogs' No. 16-ranked scoring defense.

Part of the reason that no touchdowns were scored in the first matchup between the Tigers and Crimson Tide is because the teams have stifling defenses, but another reason is just plain old luck. Both teams play in the SEC and face great defenses every week, and yet they both averaged over 36 points per game on the season.

With all the speed on that field, there will be at least a few instances of players breaking lose and finding the end zone this time around. And with such talented defenses and Tyrann Mathieu and Marquis Maze in the return game, there will be plenty of opportunities for non-offensive touchdowns.

A Rare Occurrence

Even as good as they are, the odds of the defenses holding the offenses out of the end zone again are slim. Alabama only kept three of its other opponents from scoring touchdowns this year, and they were the North Texas Mean Green, Vanderbilt Commodores and Tennessee Volunteers. None of those teams rank in the Top 60 in the country in scoring offense, and all three of them finished with a losing record.

The only other teams that LSU prevented from scoring touchdowns in 2011 were the Mississippi Rebels, Mississippi State Bulldogs and Northwestern State Demons. The Demons are an FCS team, while neither of the other two rank better than 74th in the country in scoring offense.

The fact of the matter is that most teams that played LSU and Alabama this season scored touchdowns against them. The only ones that didn't (besides each other) were teams with terrible offenses.

What's more, Alabama has not played a single team with a higher-ranked scoring offense than LSU all season, and the only team with a better offense than Alabama that LSU has faced is the Oregon Ducks (LSU gave up 27 points to them).

The numbers don't lie. Both teams have dangerous offenses that can strike at any moment. Both teams do have great defenses, but these defenses yielded touchdowns to worse offenses all season long.

There is no doubt there will be some offensive fireworks this time around, and a game that was boring (in my opinion) the first time around will be much more fun in the Superdome.