Obviously, LSU has "earned" this championship. 1. Strength of schedule Before bowls: OU 11th. LSU 29th. USC 37th. LSU played 7 games against teams with five or more losses. USC played 11 games with teams with five or more losses. LSU's opponents are 5-1 in bowl games (UGA counted twice) against competition that averaged a BCS ranking of #19. USC's opponents are 5-1 in bowl games against competition that averaged a BCS ranking of #42. 2. Opponents of LSU and USC head-to-head; bowl games included. Oklahoma (12-2) vs Michigan (10-3): OU favored. UGA (11-3) vs. Washington (10-3) State: UGA favored. UGA (11-3) vs. Auburn (8-5): UGA beat Auburn. Ole Miss (10-3) vs. Cal (8-6): Ole Miss favored. Florida (8-5) vs. Oregon State (8-5): UF favored. Arkansas (9-4) vs. Notre (5-7) Dame: Arkansas favored. Auburn (8-5) vs. UCLA (6-7): Auburn favored. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- #63 South Carolina vs. #55 Washington : Washington favored. #69 Alabama vs. #64 Hawaii: Hawaii won. #80 LA Tech vs #72 Stanford: Stanford favored. #89 Arizona vs #73 Arizona State: Arizona State won. #95 Mississippi State vs #75 BYU: BYU favored. #116 ULM vs. #89 Arizona: Arizona favored. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Western Illinois: No USC opponent to compare with. 3. Record LSU 13-1 USC 12-1 4. Margin of victory LSU averaged outscoring its opponents by 23 points per game this year (loss included). USC averaged outscoring its opponents by 22 points per game this year (loss included). 5. Loss LSU lost to ranked Florida, whose five losses came from five top 15 teams: Ole Miss, Tennessee, FSU, Miami, and Iowa. Florida beat two top 10 teams. USC lost to unranked 6 loss Cal (Cal did recently beat Virginia Tech, but VA Tech finished the season 1-5 with its only win coming over Temple in overtime). Cal beat one top 30 team. Its only loss to a top 25 team was to Kansas State. 6. Head-to-head matchup LSU beat Auburn and Arizona by larger margins of victory and in a much more impressive manner, allowing its backups in the AU game after it went up 31-0 in the 3rd quarter, whereas USC had to keep its first team in the entire game. Arizona players said that LSU was a better team than USC. Arizona's Clay Hart said after this year's game with USC that the Trojans " were really good. But personally, I think LSU was the best team we’ve faced since I’ve been a Wildcat .” 7. LSU won the Sugar Bowl, the agreed upon national title game. AP champions mean nothing now. The BCS is the legitimate national title.
You didnt have to calculate all that out to know that LSU is the better team. But I appreciate the hard work. :geaux:
The BCS was created to weed out the weak sisters, it did just that. LSU National Champions--USC Rose Bowl winners.
Would be nice to see, but I'm rather worn out listening to high flying offenses talk about how they will score 30+ on us. IMO, USC scores 10 on this D.
USC scores ZERO on this defense! OU would have been shut out if they hadn't had the blocked punt and the interception return that gave them the ball on the LSU 31 yard line to start their only scoring drive of the game.
lets just say this. Did USC face a high ranked team like LSU and OU did? NOPE, they faced a #5 team in their backyard at the Rose Bowl. Last time I looked, It was the Sugar Bowl where the National Title was.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Give me LSU, they have the secondary to stay with the SC receivers. Also the only way to slow the timing routes of chow is the bump and run style Saban teaches. Watching both these team I'll put my money on Saban handling Norm Chow's timing route to Williams and swing passes to bush. SC RB's are still unproven as everydown backs. It's the rotation that Chow use with his RB's that keeps you off balance as to who to key. Then when you think pass they run, think run they pass. The pass to the QB in the rose was a great move, pure finesse. Chow has and oriental approach to his system... "Finesse" Think martial arts (judo of sorts) then you'll understand what your see as SC keeps you off balance. Even John Robinson said it at the game..."this is a team with lots of speed and finesse, not like the power teams of the pass at SC". That's because chow is using the same system he used at BYU...but with some really good athletes this time. Remember he won a NC at BYU with this offense also. You "MUST" bump and run to destroy his timing routes...or they'll play jump ball with you the same way Florida did under "The Old Ball Coach".... I think LSU will beat SC because of the man bump and run they use while also mixing the zone blitz at times when you think they playing man. LSU has the same speed SC does and the same muscle up front. Saban willl win once he gets SC into a power football game buy taking away the timing routes and swing passes to bush. The right man/zone blitz calls is the only way to beat Chow..... This is just SC offense I'm speaking of, as far as SC defense I like Saban to play the NFL power game using speed to strrech the field on the outside and run inside and off tackle. Saban will beat Caroll... Bet you I'm right!! LSU-24...USC-17 As far as OU QB perfomance tonight...he looks to still have that bad hand from the KSU game. He's a much better passer than he showed tonight, must have been frustrating for him....
To bad the college fans won't find out this year. Zero U had no business playing in last nights Sugar Bowl. Congrats on the win.
