BCS Rankings Week 12: Best One-Loss Team Oregon Still Looking Up at Bama

The consensus is that should LSU or Oklahoma State stumble towards the finish, a one-loss team will be playing for the BCS Championship.

But will it be the right one-loss team?

Alabama still sits in the drivers seat if one of the top two teams lose, but should that team rightfully be Oregon instead?

Both teams can certainly make their case.

Alabama certainly plays in the better conference and both teams have the LSU loss in common, but what Oregon did to Stanford Saturday night almost seems to be flying under the radar.

The lone loss for the Crimson Tide to LSU almost seems acceptable after the fact. All we heard is how it was a hard fought game by both teams and that if the Alabama special teams hadn't been so bad then Alabama probably wins that game.

Immediately after the fact, everyone began campaigning for a rematch. Myself included.

But what about Oregon?

Didn't they look more impressive against LSU in their lone loss of the season to begin the season?

For one, Alabama lost at home to LSU. Oregon on the other hand lost a "neutral site," game in Texas, which was pretty much a home game for LSU.

Also if Alabama was given so much credit and only slipped one spot in the BCS Rankings after the loss, what about the way the Ducks lost to LSU?

If you remember back, a pair of fumbles by true freshman De'Anthony Thomas on consecutive touches that opened the door for a 40-27 LSU win.

Four turnovers on that night turned into 20 LSU points.

Granted, teams change a great deal from Week 1 of the season, but the Oregon offense moved the ball more effectively on the LSU defense than the Crimson Tide did just eight weeks later.

That's also considering that Heisman Trophy candidate LaMichael James didn't do much at all in that game.

Since then, Alabama has had to go through the tough SEC schedule. They have a real nice looking win over Arkansas on their resume and a non-conference road win at Penn State.

While I won't dare to compare the Pac-12 to the SEC, what Oregon did Saturday night to Stanford may be more impressive than anything the Crimson Tide has done all season.

They took apart the No. 4 team in the nation and did it with ease.

If Stanford wins that game, we may be sitting here talking about how the Cardinal leapfrogged Alabama in this week's BCS Standings.

If that's the case, then why not Oregon?

If the Ducks do the same to USC this Saturday, then we may really have to make the case for them of being the best one-loss team in the land.

Of course it's all a moot point if LSU and Oklahoma State win out, but if they don't we will see a one-loss team in the BCS Championship Game.

It just may be the wrong one though.