LSU vs. Alabama Rematch: Five Reasons the Game Will Be an All-Time Classic

This year's national championship game, pitting No. 1 LSU against No. 2 Alabama, has already generated a ton of buzz and publicity, but the question is, will the game actually live up to the hype and the headlines?

Some love the idea of a rematch in the national championship game, while others have had no trouble expressing their displeasure with it. But whether you like the idea of an All-SEC showdown in the BCS title game or not, it doesn't change the fact that this year's matchup has all the ingredients to be a classic.

No, the first "Game of the Century" back on Nov. 5, which turned out to be a 9-6 defensive slugfest/offensive struggle, may not have been as entertaining as everyone was hoping for, but there's no doubt that the second meeting has the potential to be one of the best college football games we've seen in over a decade. 

Here's a look at five reasons the 2012 BCS national championship game could turn out to be an all-time classic.

The Talent Level

If you're looking for star power, future high NFL draft picks and top-notch playmakers, then look no further than the national championship game.

Out of the 44 players that will start on either offense or defense for Alabama and LSU, I personally counted 36 players who will one day hear their name called during the NFL draft, with more than a few of them being first-round caliber prospects.

This game will feature two players who are destined to be Top-10 picks in the 2012 NFL draft, Alabama RB Trent Richardson and LSU CB Morris Claiborne, but they certainly won't be the only impact players competing in this game.

For LSU, DE Sam Montgomery, CB Tyrann Mathieu, S Eric Reid, OG Will Blackwell, DT Michael Brockers and WR Rueben Randle are all some of the best players at their respective positions in the country. And the same goes for Alabama players like OT Barrett Jones, linebackers Courtney Upshaw and Dont'a Hightower, CB Dre Kirkpatrick and S Mark Barron.

The skill level on display down in New Orleans will basically be unprecedented, and with so much high quality elite talent on the field, this game has the chance to turn into a rare historical battle.

The Coaching Battle

College Football is as much about the coaches as it is about the players, and this year's national championship matchup will feature arguably the two top coaches in the sport today, Alabama's Nick Saban and LSU's Les Miles.

Saban and Miles have combined to win three out of the last eight national championships, and they each have nearly identical winning percentages (Miles—.730, Saban—.726).

The fact that Miles is Saban's successor at LSU, and the fact that he's still trying to work his way out of Saban's shadow always serves for an interesting storyline when these two teams meet.

The bottom line is, these are two of the best coaching staffs in college football, and they will both have their teams fully prepared for the spotlight, just like they did for the "Game of the Century."

The BCS national championship game definitely has the chance to turn into quite a coaching chess match.

The Stage

The BCS national championship game has produced a few less-than-memorable contests in recent years, with LSU-Ohio State, Florida-Ohio State and USC-Oklahoma being the first that come to mind.

But it wasn’t too long ago that the BCS championship game produced the best college football game of the millennium—USC vs. Texas in the 2006 Rose Bowl.

When you have two great teams, playing on college football’s biggest stage for the sport’s ultimate prize, magic can happen, and that’s just what happened when the Longhorns outlasted the Trojans in Pasadena in a game that turned out to be just as thrilling and entertaining as everyone had hoped.

Alabama and LSU may not possess the same kind of offensive star power that was on display in that game, but this year’s title tilt will share the samekind of intense edge-of-your seat feel, and with the type of talent that the Tide and Tigers both have, these two teams have the opportunity to replicate the magic we saw in the classic 2006 Rose Bowl showdown.

The Controversy

The BCS always seems to generate a lot of debate every time December rolls around, but the LSU-Alabama national championship rematch will likely go down as the most debated about and controversial title pairing ever.

The fact that Alabama didn't even win its own division, let alone its conference, has opened the door for critics to argue about the Tide's spot in the national championship game.

Sometimes, though, controversy is the best form of promotion, and I can guarantee you that every single one of those critics who have been complaining about the rematch will be sitting in front of their TV sets on Jan. 9.

All of the controversy surrounding the game will only serve to fuel interest, and after all of the talk, anticipation and buildup, if this game actually lives up to expectations, it will likely become an instant classic.

These Are Truly the Two Best Teams in College Football

Controversy or not, it's hard to argue that these aren't the two best teams in college football.

They're the two most talented teams in college football, they're the two best coached teams in college football and they each have a defense that is on the level of being historically great.

Yes, admittedly, the BCS system may need some tweaking for the future, but that doesn't mean that the matchup it produced this year won't be wildly entertaining.

The job of the BCS has always been to put the two best teams in the nation against each other in the championship game, and that's just what it did again this year.

Sure, it would have been nice to see what the Oklahoma State offense could have done against the LSU defense, but if this game actually lives up to its potential, I doubt many people will still be clamoring for the Cowboys.

These are the two best teams we've seen in college football since USC and Texas back in 2005, and it wouldn't be surprising if this game turned out to be a classic just like the 2006 Rose Bowl.