BCS Rankings: Why Stanford Is the Only Team That Can Give LSU a Challenge

With just a few regular-season and conference-championship games remaining on the schedule, college football bowl season is nearly upon us. The No. 1 LSU Tigers are above and beyond every team in the nation, but there is one team that could give them trouble in the BCS National Championship Game, and that is Stanford.

Currently ranked No. 4, it seems quite unlikely the Cardinal could move into the No. 2 spot by season's end. That ranking is occupied by the Alabama Crimson Tide, who seem to have the inside track when it comes to challenging LSU for the title.

Win or lose in the SEC Championship Game against Georgia, the Tigers are safely in the national championship game. Their opponent is uncertain, but it will probably be either Alabama or No. 3 Oklahoma State in all likelihood. The Crimson Tide have no games left to play as they can't compete for the SEC title, while Oklahoma State has a game remaining with Oklahoma.

Should the Cowboys beat the Sooners, there is a distinct possibility they could leapfrog Alabama. Since Stanford lost out on a spot in the Pac-12 title game because of a tiebreaker with Oregon, it probably won't be able to move higher than No. 3 and almost certainly has no hope of passing Alabama.

While the Tide may be a better team than the Cardinal overall, I think an LSU vs. Stanford national championship game would be far more interesting, exciting and competitive than LSU vs. Alabama. We've already seen LSU face Alabama, and while the Tide gave the Tigers their toughest game in a 9-6 overtime decision, they've already had their chance.

Some will say the last LSU vs. Alabama game was a showcase of elite defenses, but you could also say it was a showcase of shaky offenses. The ideal matchup would be LSU's dominant defense against an offense that could give it a run for its money. In my estimation, that offense belongs to Stanford.

There is no question Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck is the best signal caller in the nation, and he may very well be the best overall player as well. Nothing would be more exciting than to see the incomparable Luck trying to decipher LSU's seemingly impenetrable defense.

While Oklahoma State would bring that to the table somewhat, LSU has proven capable of shutting down gimmicky spread offenses such as those used by Oregon and West Virginia. LSU vs. Stanford would very simply pit the best unit in the country against the best player in the country in what would amount to a battle of wills.

Alabama may very well keep it close against LSU like it did earlier in the season, but a close game alone isn't going to necessarily enthrall the nation. Like it or not, the viewing public as a whole would rather see a 45-42 game than a 9-6 game.

I'm not saying Stanford would be able to put that many points up on the Tigers, but it would almost certainly be more than the meager six points the Tide were able to muster. The Cardinal ultimately don't stand a chance of facing LSU for the national championship, but Luck's presence would be far more captivating than another defensive slugfest.