BCS Rankings: 5 Reasons Why the System Did Its Job—Putting 1 vs 2 Together

"The Rematch" is what this championship will be called for years to come. Alabama, win or lose, gets to put another marker in the NCAA record books. The first rematch of a regular season game in the national championship in BCS history.

The BCS was started for one reason: to pit the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in college football against each other in order to have a clear champion.

LSU is the best team in the nation. Alabama is the second-best.

The "gurus" say that even an OSU victory won't jump them past Alabama, but we'll see.

Of course, if the BCS puts OSU in the title game, Alabama still gets to make history by being the first team to be idle at the No. 2 spot during "Championship Weekend" and actually get jumped.

Reason No. 5: 1966

Alabama entered 1966 ranked No. 1 in the AP Poll, Michigan State was No. 2 and Notre Dame was ranked No. 6.

After playing each other to a tie, Notre Dame and Michigan State didn't drop from the top two spots, regardless of the fact that 'Bama won their game that week.

When 'Bama finished the season 10-0, and those two finished at 9-0-1, 'Bama wasn't given the national championship.

'Bama was jumped early in the season, and wasn't allowed to jump those two, even after having won the bowl game.

How can you use a loss to the No. 1 team in the nation by such a close margin as an argument that they aren't the No. 2?

I'm not saying Oklahoma State doesn't deserve a shot. In a playoff, they would have an opportunity.

We don't have a playoff, we have the BCS.

The BCS claims to pit the top two teams against each other for the national championship.

That is Alabama and LSU.

If Notre Dame and Michigan State didn't get punished for tying, how can 'Bama be punished for losing a nail-biter by three in OT?

The nail-biter is conclusive proof that they are No. 2, as the loss to unranked Iowa State is conclusive proof that OSU is not.

Reason No. 4: Mike Gundy

Mike Gundy said himself, that he would place Alabama at No. 2 over his own Oklahoma State Cowboys.

I'm not an expert, yet, but I'm thinking that a coach knows his own team. If he says he would put Alabama at No. 2, who are we to argue?

Oklahoma State has put together a stellar season. They are not yet in the same league as LSU or 'Bama. Let's see them put together more than one of those seasons, and let them in next time.

I know that people argue that "quality of loss" doesn't exist, but we all know it does.

If you want to sell tickets to a game you KNOW can go either way, OSU isn't the choice against LSU.

If Ohio State or Notre Dame were at No. 1, I would not make that argument. I don't think Gundy would, either.

Reason No. 3: No Rules Against a Non-Conference-Champion in the Title Game

We know the rules. There are no rules against a non-conference-champion playing in the title game.

If there were (which there shouldn't be), then we wouldn't be having this argument.

Do you think Clemson can beat LSU? (Didn't beat Georgia Tech.)

Do you think Oregon can beat LSU? (Already didn't.)

Nick Saban said, back in 2003, "I don't think anyone will know who the legitimate national champion is unless all three teams in consideration get the opportunity to play one another."

I'm all-for an exhibition game between Alabama and OSU on December 17th, where the winner earns a trip to the LSU beat-down. It's not going to happen.

Looking at the results, LSU 9 vs. Alabama 6 in OT, I can't see conclusive evidence that Alabama isn't No. 2.

The Iowa State loss for OSU certainly doesn't convince me otherwise.

Reason No. 2: A De-Facto Conference Champion Is Not a Conference Champion

As their schedule has Oklahoma and OSU play everyone else in their conference, the Bedlam game has been called a de-facto conference championship repeatedly to me.

HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT? If OU and OSU are ALWAYS the best in the conference, then how is the conference stronger than the SEC, where the best teams aren't even in the same division every year?

If they aren't always the best, then how come you want to place championship implications on this year's Bedlam game? If you have a championship, you have a champion. If you don't, you don't.

I don't mind people giving me legitimate reasons that 'Bama shouldn't go to the big game, such as "you lost at home." I can see that point.

The non-conference-champion argument is, in the Greek, "bunk."

Reason No. 1: The Second-Best in the SEC Shouldn't Have to Come from the East

The UCLA-Oregon conference championship game taught us something that we already knew: the second-best team in the conference isn't ALWAYS from the other division.

I know that's how the games are set up right now, but this whole "LSU-'Bama Rematch" controversy could have gone away if this flaw were not in our system.

Rematches occur in conference championships, and no one complains.

If two teams in the same division in the same conference are No's 1 and 2 in the BCS rankings, how can they NOT be the top two teams in their conference?

The answer is, they are. Why was Georgia even on the field today? (The first half almost rendered my argument invalid, but then the second half came to the rescue.)

If the SEC still occupies the top two spots tomorrow night, the BCS got it right.