LSU vs.. Alabama: The Rematch

The title says it all. The Rematch.

Less than a month ago we saw the game of the century play out in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. I watched from the North end zone, as the Tigers showed up to roll the Tide. It was exactly what ESPN hyped it up to be: A battle of the two best defenses in the country fought in the trenches. It was as though a trick play was eventually going to come from one of the two mastermind coaches, and it was Saban who pulled the trigger. Eric Reid made his mark on the game by stealing the wide receiver pass out of the tight end’s hands on the goal line. The overtime thriller was by far the single greatest sporting event I’ve ever attended. ESPN must have agreed, because they are lobbying the BCS as hard as they can for The Rematch.

Alabama now has a solid lock on the number 2 team over Oklahoma State, but will the BCS place two teams from the same conference in the same game? Does the BCS care more about having the two teams from the SEC represent different bowls, or having them play each other if they are truly 1 and 2? It is impossible to tell, but ESPN’s support will help out. Some of the most influential names associated with ESPN are calling for The Rematch, like Reeve Davis, Mark May, and even Kirk Herbstreit. The more the media talks about The Rematch, the more likely it is. The Coaches and Harris polls will show the media’s persuasion over the voters.

So what if it happens? Who wins?

To start, I think there will be touchdowns scored in this game. At least one per team, but not from a Nick Saban trick play. LSU took care of business in Tuscaloosa, and I think we’ll get the same outcome in New Orleans. Home field advantage has played a part in most of LSU’s previous bowl games, most notably the 2007 National Championship game and the 2006 Sugar Bowl. Both of those games were played in the New Orleans Superdome, the site of this years National Championship bowl. There’s a pattern in there somewhere, and it seems to be leading LSU to winning it all.

Jefferson was very effective against the Tide on November 5th. He ran and threw well, and executed the option successfully with Michael Ford. They were able to expose the weaknesses of the Alabama defense, not that it mattered for any other team. LSU’s defense is still somehow under rated, as ESPN often seems to fail to credit them for great plays and games.

This game will be an instant classic, and will undoubtedly go down to the wire. The only question is if it will actually happen? LSU fans want to say no, and Alabama fans all say yes. The experts say yes, but the rest of the country North of the Mason-Dixon Line and West of the Mississippi say no. It will all come down to money, and most likely figures that we probably wont ever look at. The fans just want to see a great game on January 9th.

The fact of the matter is that The Rematch needs to happen, so LSU can silence their critics once and for all to be named the best team of 2011 and one of the best of all time.