Alabama vs. LSU: What the Future Holds for the Loser of the BCS Title Game

Unlike the annual trend we've seen recently where Super Bowl losers fail to find the same success the following season; losing in the BCS National Championship game isn’t exactly the kiss of death.

In fact, we’ve seen two teams in the past seven years (Oklahoma in 2004, and Ohio State in 2007) make it back to the big game a year after coming up short, although both teams did ultimately end up failing in their second try.

All you have to do is look at the most recent loser, the Oregon Ducks, who regrouped after a loss to Auburn in the 2011 title game and won a Pac-12 championship and a Rose Bowl this year, to see that it’s certainly possible to rebound from a loss in college football’s biggest game and have a successful campaign the following year.

That bodes well for whichever team loses tonight’s big BCS championship game matchup between No. 1 LSU and No. 2 Alabama.

While both of these teams are set to lose some key playmakers to the NFL after tonight’s game, you also have to remember that these are probably the two deepest and most talented teams in college football right now.

With the way that Nick Saban and Les Mile stockpile recruits, there are plenty of reinforcements waiting in the wings for both the Tide and the Tigers to make another run at a national championship in 2012, even if big names like RB Trent Richardson, CB Mo Claiborne, CB Dre Kirkpatrick, S Mark Barron, LB Courtney Upshaw, DT Josh Chapman and OG Will Blackwell are all playing on Sundays next season.

For Alabama, the losses on the defensive side of the ball could be massive in 2012, as the Tide could potentially lose six coveted NFL prospects from its defense after tonight. Even if a few talented underclassmen like LB Dont’a Hightower and S Robert Lester decide to stay, there will still be big holes to fill.

But the biggest hole of all that will need to be filled is at running back, where third-place Heisman finisher Trent Richardson will leave some big cleats to fill if he decides to jump to the NFL as expected.

That means that in 2012, the pressure will be on QB A.J. McCarron’s shoulders to lead the Tide back to the promised land, and it’s still unknown whether he can take the step and transform from game-manager into a true team leader.

Since LSU is still so young on defense, the Tigers won’t have to deal with the number of defections that Alabama will, but the Tigers will have to break in a new quarterback next season, which, in the SEC, can always be an adventure.

The main factor that could make it so tough for the loser of this game to get back to the BCS championship in Miami next season, though, is the level of competition that they’ll have to face.

With the SEC shaping up to be insanely grueling once again in 2012, it won’t be an easy road for either of these teams next year, regardless of who wins tonight’s game.

Arkansas, Auburn, Missouri, Georgia, South Carolina, Texas A&M and Florida are all going to be gunning for the Tigers and the Tide next season, and no matter who wins tonight, they'll both have targets on their back.

Both LSU and Alabama will likely enter the 2012 season as top-five ranked teams yet again, but no matter who wins and who loses tonight, both teams are going to have to overcome their fair share of challenges next year if either of them wants to make it back to the BCS championship game.