BCS Bowl Announcement 2011: LSU Victory Seals Final Alabama Showdown

LSU was able to overcome a sluggish start en route to blowout victory over Georgia in the SEC Championship Game. It's a win that should lead to a rematch between the Tigers and conference rival Alabama for the national title.

Cornerback Tyrann Mathieu, who was the star of LSU's comeback, had some interesting thoughts following the game about LSU's biggest opponent, and it's not another team (via GeorgiaDogs.com).

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I think we can stop us. I think we made a lot of bad decisions, personal mistakes, but we corrected it. We never gave up on each other.

As everything was going on, I definitely think we grew closer. We started to believe in our coaches more. We started to definitely come closer within the locker room. So I think the leaders definitely started to stand up, and hats off to our leaders.

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The undefeated Tigers are clearly confident about their ability and rightfully so. They have faced 13 tests since early September and passed them all, mostly with relative ease. Mathieu might be right when he says the only thing that can slow down LSU is itself.

However, Alabama will be looking to exact some revenge after its earlier loss to the Tigers in what was called the “Game of the Century.”

The Crimson Tide should have a big enough lead over Oklahoma State to survive another round of voting. Heading in Week 14, their edge over the Cowboys was more than .08, which is pretty substantial with one game left.

Alabama has wins over Florida, Arkansas, Penn State and Auburn, which is a rock-solid résumé even without a conference title game to lean on.

Even though rematches aren't looked upon favorably by fans, LSU and Alabama have been the nation's best teams for the majority of the season. Just because they have faced off before doesn't mean one of them, in this case, Alabama, should be punished.

With the SEC once again serving as the premier college football conference, it's only fitting that its two best teams battle for season supremacy.

While teams outside of the SEC won't like the outcome, it's the correct decision based on the current BCS system. If they don't like it, there should be a much stronger push for a playoff system. Otherwise, it's like complaining about a politician when you didn't even vote.

Hopefully, LSU and Alabama put on a fantastic show so that any BCS controversy is nothing more than a footnote when it's all said and done.