LSU vs. Alabama or Saints vs. Packers: Which Would Be the Rematch of the Century

My day started off pretty normally: waking up, stretching, feeding my dog and getting my own morning bowl of cereal.  Then, as usual, I turned my television on to the only channel worth watching in the entire Verizon Fios package, ESPN.

I happen to catch the beginning of the SportsCenter segment on the Alabama vs. LSU game tonight.  They came back from commercial with Hannah Storm’s lead-in of the game and how it is being “billed as the rematch of the century.”

I watched the rest of the segment and it got me thinking.  There will be plenty of rematches in sports this year, but strictly speaking from a football standpoint, is it really the rematch of the century?

This article is less about stats, good teams and individuals, and more about the overall sport of football and how true fans of the game would view it.

I will not take for granted that one of the reasons it is being pegged as the rematch of the century is because it is the BCS National Championship and nothing can take away from the overall excitement of this game and the millions that will be watching tonight.

Also, I have to mention that we will be watching players from each team who we will see on Sundays later this year, and I’m sure some of us are hoping our teams are the ones to draft them.

Aside from that, let’s look at the obvious.  Alabama vs. LSU games are always the good games and arguably the most watched match up every year in the SEC.  Many will watch for different reasons: the love of the game, the exciting players, a good match up, your alma mater, nothing else is on, etc. 

But if you’re reading this, it is more than likely one of the first four.

Despite all of the hype surrounding this game, its players and the national title implications, I do not think it could be the football rematch of the century. How?  I’ll explain.

While the game I’m about to mention in its present state is hypothetical, after this week, it could be a real possibility.  Let me take you all the way back to September 8, 2011, Lambeau Field, Green Bay, WI. 

If you don’t remember, it was the game where the New Orleans Saints came up one yard short to potentially handing the Green Bay Packers their first loss in what would now be a 15-2 season.

In last Saturday’s game against the Detroit Lions, the Saints handled them with ease winning 28-48.  This weekend they play the San Francisco 49ers. 

While the 49ers have a stout defense, I just do not see them putting up enough points to outscore the Saints.  This season the Saints averaged 34.2 points per game to the 49ers' 23.8.  Not to mention the 49ers rank 29^th in passing yards and you will not beat the Saints just running the ball. 

However, let’s not forget the Saints vs. Seahawks playoff game last year.

The Packers face possibly a tougher challenge when the red-hot New York Giants come to town with their dynamic offense that is clicking on all cylinders right now. 

It’s crazy how the Giants can hold the Atlanta Falcons to just two points and can lose to the Washington Redskins TWICE in one season (stated as a Redskins fan).

But back to the Packers; if they can manage to win against the Giants, we will be looking at a NFC Championship rematch of the first game of the regular season, New Orleans Saints vs. Green Bay Packers.

In their first meeting, the final score was 34-42 and, again, they came up literally one yard short of sending that game into overtime barring a mishap with the extra point.

In the first game between LSU and Alabama, the final score was 9-6. 

Now let’s be honest, games that end in the same scores as a middle school girls basketball team normally wouldn’t keep our attention past halftime.  But because it’s Alabama and LSU, we watched.

In my own opinion, I think millions will watch the game tonight, but it will mean more to those who have some kind of connection with the teams or players.

I went to a university in Alabama myself—no, not Auburn—and I have seen firsthand the passion that the people of Alabama have for their football teams.  Students traveled from my school to the University of Alabama or Auburn University even when our Division 1-A football team had a home game. Yeah, pretty serious.

The point is, if it came down to someone having two free tickets to either an Alabama vs. LSU BCS National Championship game or a New Orleans Saints vs. Green Bay Packers NFC Championship game, I would choose the NFC Championship game.

As for the rematch of the century, I guess we will have to wait until tonight and maybe this weekend to see what will happen.  Either way, I think both would be great games to watch and enjoyed by all.