BCS Championship 2012: Real Football Fans Will Love Defensive Clash

There's nothing more annoying than "football fans" complaining about defensive football, but that's all we've heard since Alabama and LSU were chosen to play in the 2012 BCS National Championship.

If you don't enjoy this game, you aren't a football fan.

I'm not sure how the fact that the No. 1 and No. 2 team in the country squaring off doesn't excite you for one, but it goes so much deeper than that.

Nowadays we've grown so accustomed to ESPN and other media outlets shoving highlights and "big plays" down our throats.

Everybody loves the top-10 moments and the more offense you can fit into a highlight package the better.

Somehow a 10-yard slant pass has become more exciting than stopping a running play for negative yards on defense.

I would argue that it's just as important, if not more.

Look no further than this year's NFL playoffs if you want proof of that statement.

The Detroit Lions are a great up-and-coming team with a very dangerous offense, but they stood no chance of winning a game against the Saints because their defense couldn't stop anybody.

If you can't tackle, you can't win, and if you can't play defense, it nullifies your offense.

That's the beauty of this national championship, it's focused around defense and running the ball. This is football at its deepest root, and true fans will recognize that.

They recognize that these two teams got to where they are by being great at the fundamentals.

A team can't beat you if they can't score, and LSU has taken that theory all the way to a 13-0 record, only giving up 10.5 points per game.

Not to be outdone, their foe, Alabama, plays the best defense in the league, only allowing their opponents an average of 8.8 points per game.

Don't expect a ton of scoring, but expect some hard-nosed, smash-mouth football.

If that bores you, I urge you to not watch.

If that bores you, I doubt you are a fan of football.