LSU vs. Alabama Rematch: Why LSU Should Be Crowned Champions Before Bowls

For the second consecutive week, No. 1 LSU found themselves down by double-digits against a ranked foe. 

Both games ended in resounding blowout victories, the latest being a 42-10 thrashing of the No.14 Georgia Bulldogs that captured the SEC title and a spot in the BCS National Championship gGame.  

After failing to register a first down on offense in the first half against the Bulldogs, the top-ranked LSU Tigers responded in a manner befitting of a champion, and further provided proof that they are far and away the best team in the country.  

You do not need any BCS gurus to tell you this.  

In fact, the Bulldogs represent the fourth victim ranked in the top 15 to be deposed by the Les Miles' squad this season.  

So while everyone will debate about whether Alabama deserves a rematch, I propose that an archaic system that solves nothing (hello BCS) be transformed into the version that preceded it several years before.  

Now that LSU has captured the SEC title and has built a resume far superior to their closest contenders, they should immediately be crowned as national champions. 

After all, hasn’t the BCS title game been a coronation of the SEC’s elite the previous five seasons?  

Do us logical fans a favor and just skip the hype and six weeks of buildup and acknowledge that LSU is clearly the best team in the country.  

I realize that this line of thinking will be considered irrational by some, and lunacy in other places (namely Tuscaloosa, Stillwater, Blacksburg and Palo Alto).  

However, perhaps like no other year before it, there is one team that stands alone without a viable opponent left at season’s end to be worthy of challenging them for the right to be called national champions.  

Alabama had a bye-week to prepare for a home date with LSU, yet the mighty Crimson Tide fell flat in a game where a win may as well have been a metaphorical golden title-clinching ticket.  

Besides, only the fans of the losing team are calling for a rematch, which would render their first meeting a meaningless footnote.  

In a sport without a playoff, that notion compromises the integrity of a game that props up the importance of the regular season.    

As for the other the teams involved, either they blew their opportunities when the door was open with a glowing welcome mat between them and New Orleans, or their body of work does not warrant them a chance to play for a title.  

Oklahoma State fell victim to the missed field goal curse of 2011, and lost to an unranked Iowa State team on the road, while Stanford could not defeat Pac-12 nemesis Oregon at home.  

Take one look at Virginia Tech’s non-conference schedule and tell me they should not be flagged for insulting our intelligence at the notion their resumes are indeed worthy.  

The pieces to the bowl puzzle will be revealed on Sunday night, but in a fitting twist to a sport that thrives on chaos, there will be little doubt about who is No. 2 and even less about who is No. 1.  

With a win in Atlanta on Saturday, the only thing left to do is crown LSU since they have proven over and over again that they are.  

Like Dennis Green famously said, “They are who we thought they were!”