LSU-Alabama Rematch: Could LSU Be Best College Football Team Ever with Win?

If you look at all the statistics and star power surrounding the LSU Tigers, they seem like they could be the type of team that is forgotten about a few years down the road.

Sure, Morris Claiborne will go early in the NFL draft, and a few other players might fill roles on NFL squads, but that's about it. Compared to the star power of the 2001 Miami Hurricanes, LSU has nothing.

But none of that matters. It doesn't matter who on LSU will be good in six years in a league that heavily favors offense and regurgitates its stars with little care for their well-being. All that matters is now, 2011, and how the Tigers stack up against their peers.

If they defeat Alabama once again, they will have defeated the No. 2 team twice, once on the road and once in a neutral site. They will have defeated the No. 3 team twice (Arkansas at home, Pac-12 champion Oregon at a neutral). They will have beaten the Big East Champion, No. 16 West Virginia on the road. They will have defeated No. 14 Georgia at a so-called neutral location of Atlanta. Additionally, they will have defeated No. 20 Auburn and No. 17 Florida at home and will have beaten No. 25 Mississippi State in Starkville.

Did you get all that? In short, nine of the 14 teams LSU played will have been ranked at the time. Four of those teams will have been in the top three.

No other team in the history of football can match that resume. No one.

The 2001 Hurricanes beat four teams in the top 25 before taking on Nebraska in the championship game. Prior to Nebraska, the Canes did not play anyone in the top ten.

The 1995 Nebraska Cornhuskers played No. 8 Kansas State, No. 7 Colorado, No. 10 Kansas and No. 2 Florida. Impressive, but not anywhere near LSU.

Of all schedules I've come across, the 1988 Fighting Irish may have the most impressive resume. While the Irish aren't generally considered one of the greatest teams of all-time, they did defeat No. 9 Michigan, No. 1 Miami, No. 2 USC, and No. 3 West Virginia. Still, only four top-25 teams and "only" three teams in the top-three.

The point is, LSU has played as tough of a schedule as anyone in the history of football. In a season defined by parity, they are the only team to be undefeated through the regular season. Every other team, while at times impressive, has had a slip-up along the way.

Cynics will ignore this fact and instead point once again to the lack of star power, firepower or overwhelming statistics. They may even go as far to say that LSU wins ugly.

Beyond the obvious argument that a "win is a win," I'll add that LSU doesn't win ugly. Instead, they adapt their style of play to their opponents and finds ways to win.

Early in the season, the Tigers traveled to Starkville and didn't score a touchdown until the fourth quarter in a 19-6 win. The next week, they traveled to West Virginia and won 47-21.

In the opening week against Oregon, backup QB Jarrett Lee got his legs underneath him, throwing for 98 yards. Three weeks later against the Mountaineers, he threw for 180 yards and three touchdowns.

Anyway you want it, that's the way you need it.

Before we get too far off track quoting Journey lyrics, realize the point. That is, great times adapt and do what it takes to win.

Take today's win over Georgia. Twelve yards and zero first downs in the first half certainly didn't have LSU looking like the No. 1 team in the nation, much less the best team ever. But zero points allowed in the final three quarters, great special teams play and 35 second-half points surely had folks wide-eyed in amazement. This team just wins.

And you know the old saying about only being as good as your worst player? Name the worst player on LSU. Go ahead.

Their starting quarterback was suspended early on, and they were written-off by many experts. Jarret Lee coming in? No problem.

Do they have any holes in pass defense? No. Their third cornerback, Eric Reid, would be the No. 1 corner on many teams. He'll play his role behind Mathieu and Claiborne.

Running backs not having a good game? They'll go three or four deep. Kenny Hilliard, the man who rushed for 72 yards and two touchdowns today against UGA, is listed as the fourth-string running back.

Oh, and their kicker is 16-for-18 on field goals, and their freshman punter averages 43 yards per game. The old adage is true; you are only as good as your worst player. It turns out that LSU's worst player, whoever it is, is pretty darn good.

The team wins against the best competition, and that's what it's all about. It isn't about having the most passing yards or a Heisman Trophy contender or the most NFL draft picks. It's about lining up across from your opponent and dominating by any means necessary.

LSU is the only team to have done that every single week this season. They've done it against the best opponents week in, week out, perhaps more so than any team prior to them.

For that, they deserve credit for being one of the all-time greatest teams.