BCS Bowl Predictions: LSU Doesn't Need SEC Championship to Make BCS Title Game

No. 1 LSU used a fourth-quarter surge to overcome No. 3 Arkansas. It's a win that not only clinches the SEC West Division for the Tigers, but should also ensure they have a spot in the BCS National Championship game, regardless of the result against Georgia.

Don't tell that to head coach Les Miles, though. His focus is on beating the Bulldogs (via Associated Press).

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Les Miles did not even want to contemplate whether his top-ranked Tigers might get a bid to the BCS title game even if they lost next weekend’s SEC championship showdown with Georgia.

'I just want you to know something,' Miles said. 'There would be no way that this team could come to Atlanta and not play their best.'

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You wouldn't expect anything else from Miles. He's got to make sure his players take Georgia seriously because there's no guarantees when it comes to the BCS.

That said, the Tigers have defeated seven ranked teams en route to a 12-0 regular-season record. Alabama, Oregon and Arkansas were all ranked inside the top three when LSU knocked the off. There's no team in America that can match that résumé.

Georgia will enter next Saturday's game as one of the nation's hottest teams. After losing their first two games of the season vs. Boise State and South Carolina, the Bulldogs have rattled off 10 straight wins. It hasn't always been pretty, but they get the job done.

Unlike the Tigers, Georgia's only hope of advancing to a BCS game would be upsetting LSU. That should give the Bulldogs a motivational advantage, which is why Miles was so quick to deflect questions about the game's meaningfulness.

While LSU will enter the game with every expectation of emerging victorious, don't expect Miles and Co. to take any unnecessary risks with injuries.

Before defeating the Razorbacks, the Tigers had more than a 0.1 lead over third place. That's a significant edge in BCS rankings, and it should only increase when the next set of numbers are released on Sunday.

Losing to a Georgia team that will likely be hovering near the Top 10 shouldn't be enough to make the Tigers fall outside the Top Two. They've accomplished too much for a neutral-site game against a really good team to cause a substantial drop.

So, rest easy, LSU fans, and start preparing for New Orleans.