BCS Rankings Week 12: Why SEC Deserves to Have 3 Teams in BCS Bowls

In the decade-plus of the existence of the BCS (including five years of the current five-bowl format), no conference has ever had three representatives in the nation’s top bowls. This year, the SEC—winner of the last five national titles—deserves to be the first to change that record.

This trio of teams has played too well to be left out of the top year-end showcases:

LSU

The obvious choice at No. 1, the Tigers have topped the AP Poll since Week 5 and the USA Today Poll since Week 9. Their win over presumptive Pac-12 champion Oregon is the biggest non-conference victory for any team in the country.

Unless they lose one of their three remaining games (a long shot at best), LSU is guaranteed to be playing for the national title.

Alabama

Whether or not they get another shot at LSU in the national championship game, the 9-1 Tide are assured of an at-large spot in a BCS bowl. The nation’s best scoring defense (7.1 points allowed per game) has earned ‘Bama its No. 3 position in the polls.

Alabama also boasts one of the few substantial non-conference wins of any team in the nation, a 27-11 victory on the road at Penn State.

Arkansas

The biggest question mark among the SEC contenders, the Razorbacks have climbed to No. 6 in both polls on the strength of a 9-1 record whose only blemish came on the road at Alabama. However, the real question is where they’ll rank with two losses, because a season-ending visit to Baton Rouge is certain to end with an LSU victory.

Even with two losses, though, Arkansas will have an outstanding BCS case. Their losses will be on the road against two national title contenders (as opposed, for example, to Oklahoma’s upset by unranked Texas Tech). The Razorbacks will also benefit from the absence of any one-loss competition from either the Big Ten or the Big East.

The biggest obstacle for Arkansas would be a potential choice between them and a one-loss Stanford team. Realistically, any BCS bowl would rather have Heisman hopeful Andrew Luck than the relatively anonymous Razorbacks, but that doesn’t mean it’s necessarily the right choice.

The two teams will wind up very close in the polls, even after an Arkansas loss, and Arkansas’ win over South Carolina will likely be the only victory for either team against a foe in the final top 25. Both Stanford and Arkansas would have a strong case, but the Razorbacks should be the pick to reward the SEC for being, hands down, the most dominant conference in the country.