Alabama vs. LSU Rematch: BCS Championship Game a Dream for Fans of Defense

There was a whole lot of grumbling when it was determined that defensive powerhouses LSU and Alabama would be meeting in the 2012 BCS National Championship Game.

Given their previous meeting on Nov. 5, a 9-6 slugfest that went into overtime, those who preferred offense were disappointed, especially because high-octane Oklahoma State had a chance to make it to the title game before losing to unranked Iowa State on Nov. 18.

But for fans of defense, like me, this is a dream scenario. LSU defensive back Tyrann Mathieu gave us the most dominant defensive campaign in years. Cornerback Morris Claiborne could be selected in the top five in the 2012 NFL draft.

For Alabama, outside linebacker Courtney Upshaw, cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick and inside linebacker Dont'a Hightower are all widely projected to land in the first round. Safety Mark Barron also has a shot at getting selected in the first round.

You watch these two defenses go at it, and it almost looks like a throwback game, back to the days when defense ruled with an iron fist.

Alabama running back Trent Richardson is being looked at as an Adrian Peterson-like prospect by some draft experts, and he averaged 3.9 yards per carry against the Tigers on Nov. 5 (by the way, that matchup is going to be fun to watch again).

Instead of complaining about how many points these two teams put up (or don't put up) on Monday, we should be excited about watching a slew of defensive players that have NFL scouts drooling. It's very rare that so many top defensive prospects are in the same game, especially of this caliber.

Simply looking at the offenses' likely struggles on Monday, it will be easy for some fans to get frustrated watching the game. But cast your eyes to the other side of the ball, and then you will realize there is nothing to be frustrated about—this is how defenses are supposed to play.