LSU vs. Alabama: What BCS Contender Has Best Chance at Snapping SEC's Title Run?

With the upcoming BCS National Championship Game expected to have at least one participant from the SEC involved in it, the time has come to speculate what, if any, BCS contender has a remote chance to end the SEC's run of five consecutive national championship victories.

There are certainly contenders out there, but they may never excel at the same level as SEC teams like LSU and Alabama in every aspect of the game, most notably defensively.

Sure, the opportunity is there, but the likelihood of one of the five big BCS contenders to upset a team like the LSU Tigers or Alabama Crimson Tide is there, but it's rare that a team would blow either side out of the water in victory.

An end to the SEC's streak is unlikely this season, but there are teams that could do it.

Oregon Ducks (8)

Oregon has an outside chance at this opportunity, but it's always there. After losing their opening game to the LSU Tigers and the 2011 BCS National Championship to the Auburn Tigers, the Ducks have yet to prove they can defeat an SEC opponent in a big game.

The Ducks, however, have lost just one game all season, and their scoring offense is ranked fourth in the nation having them averaging nearly 48 points a game. This offense could prove potentially devastating for an SEC defense if they did not enter the game with a strong game plan.

Oregon can hurt both through the air and on the ground, and the combination is lethal. Even with the injury to star running back LaMichel James, the Ducks have two excellent backups in Kenjon Barner and De'Anthony Thomas who are having terrific seasons themselves.

The Ducks issue would be their own defense. The Ducks are allowing 20 points a game which may be satisfactory in the Pac-12, but not so much in the SEC. Both Alabama and LSU are allowing less than 12 points a game, and if the Ducks want to compete in what always seems to be a defensive battle, they would need to limit points allowed.

Realistically, the Ducks won't end the SEC's run.

Boise State Broncos (5)

Boise State has the most outside shot at ending the BCS winning streak of the SEC, but the opportunity is still there.

If by some miracle the Broncos made it to New Orleans in January, they would have a chance to take on the SEC. Having already dominated Georgia in the Georgia Dome on opening day, the Broncos have had a fairly easy schedule the rest of the year.

Now this isn't completely their fault, being in the Mountain West Conference, they have to play a conference schedule, but this does not take away from the raw talent Boise State possesses.

Kellen Moore and the Boise State offense are seventh in the nation averaging 43 points a game and 10th in defense allowing just 16. This kind of gap between points is excellent for the Broncos. Although the opportunity probably won't ever arise until the Broncos join a big-name conference, if it did, they would have a legitimate shot at winning.

Their offense has so many tricks and unknown stars, they could overpower an unsuspecting LSU or Alabama defense. And with their defense, they wouldn't have much problem with either teams offense. 

Now this will probably never happen unless all the top 10 teams suffer two losses this season, but if it did, Boise State could end the SEC run.

Clemson Tigers (11)

Many college football fans believe that if the SEC was to accept more teams to its conference, Clemson should be one of those teams. They already have a rivalry with South Carolina and can compete in a conference like the SEC.

Unfortunately, they are in the ACC not the SEC, but this gives them an opportunity to be on this list. 

Clemson is on the outside looking in right now in the BCS, but they can still finish out the season in a BCS bowl game. The Tigers have defeated ranked Auburn, Florida State and Virginia Tech teams this season, and until their loss to Georgia Tech on the weekend, looked to be a real contender.

The Tigers and quarterback Tajh Boyd have dominated defenders this season. Boyd is ranked ninth among QBs in the nation with just under 300 yards through the air a game and has thrown an astounding 25 touchdowns this season.

If they can power past the terrific secondaries of an Alabama or LSU, they could walk away with the victory solely through the air.

We all know that the defenses of these two teams is their best asset, and if Clemson could put up big points, they could end the SEC victory parade. 

Stanford Cardinal (4)

The matchup everyone wants is Andrew Luck versus the SEC for the national championship this year. Luck has yet to have one of his marquee games this season, and other than Stanford's upcoming game with Oregon, Luck won't have an opportunity to showcase his talents nationally until a BCS game. 

Luck and the Stanford offensive output is currently good for 49.5 points a game this season, good enough for third in the country. This is 49.5 points a game without Luck playing his best football, and we are past the halfway point of the season.

The Cardinal passing attack is ranked 20th in the nation, with their surprising ground game ranked higher. 

The Cardinal defense isn't anything special, allowing an average of 17 points a game, but Andrew Luck should bring his A-game against an SEC opponent. Luck on his own could end the SEC streak of five consecutive national championships.

Oklahoma State Cowboys (3)

Finally, we come to Oklahoma State. The Cowboys are a shoe-in for the BCS Title Game in New Orleans this year as the third ranked team going into the LSU-Alabama battle. The loser of the game is expected to drop in the rankings with OSU moving up a spot into the number two spot in the BCS rankings. 

The Cowboys should not be taken lightly.

There is a reason they are No. 3 in the country with victories over a ranked Texas A&M, Texas, and victories over Missouri, Baylor, and putting up 70 points on Kansas. The Cowboys second ranked offense with 50 points a game allows their defense to be somewhat lack luster as they establish such big leads on their opponents.

Twenty-eight-year-old quarterback Brandon Weeden has thrown for 2710 yards and 22 touchdowns this season. The Cowboys offense, aside from Stanford, is the only offense that could realistically pick apart and SEC defense. This is a big aspect of the game that is crucial to a victory. 

The Oklahoma State Cowboys could very well end the SEC run of wins on January 5th in New Orleans this season.