Posted on 12/03/2007 11:06:43 AM PST by Bulldawg Fan
Les Miles didn’t need to go to Michigan for a chance to coach a team to victory against Ohio State, Michigan’s archrival. The LSU Tigers, to whom Miles reaffirmed his commitment over the weekend, will play Ohio State for the BCS national championship.
LSU (11-2) climbed five spots Sunday to No. 2 in the USA Today Top 25 Coaches’ Poll, enabling the Tigers to make the same jump in the BCS standings to set up a Jan. 7 date with the No. 1-ranked Buckeyes (11-1) in the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans.
“This is the most astonishing 36 or 48 or 72 hours I think I’ve ever seen in athletics,” said LSU Athletic Director Skip Bertman, who has 45 years in coaching and administration.
“Of course, it turned out to be magnificent for LSU. Not only did we get the coach, but we get the chance at the national championship in the same weekend, and of course, going in, we didn’t know either one of those things.”
Miles, a former Michigan player and assistant coach, walked away from a possible offer to coach at his alma mater when he announced Saturday he would stay at LSU.
A few hours later the Tigers defeated Tennessee 21-14 in the Southeastern Conference Championship Game, keeping slim hopes alive for a shot at a bigger prize.
When No. 2-ranked West Virginia lost 13-9 to huge underdog Pittsburgh and No. 1-ranked Missouri lost 38-17 to Oklahoma later that night, LSU’s long-shot possibility — described a week earlier by BCS experts — was no longer a desperate daydream.
LSU sports information director Michael Bonnette stayed up until 3 a.m. Sunday, e-mailing the 60 coaches who vote in the USA Today poll and as many Harris Interactive voters as possible. He set forth the case for LSU to be in the championship game. Miles made appearances on national TV after sunrise, doing the same.
By early Sunday afternoon, LSU was No. 2 in the USA Today poll. The Tigers, who did not receive a first-place vote in last week’s Top 25, received 11 this week.
LSU’s move ahead of Missouri and West Virginia, plus Georgia, Kansas and Virginia Tech, was a promising sign that the Tigers would be in the top two when the BCS standings were announced Sunday night.
“It was done at that point,” said Brad Edwards of ESPN, a BCS analyst who spelled out LSU’s long-shot hopes the previous weekend.
A jump from No. 5 to No. 2 in the Harris poll followed the larger jump by the Tigers in the USA Today poll Sunday. Those polls and an average of six BCS computer rankings are equal parts of the BCS formula.
“The only surprise to me was that LSU was such a comfortable No. 2 in both polls,” Edwards said. “I obviously expected them to be in that position, but I thought there would be a lot more support for all the different contenders out there.”
LSU finished No. 2 in the computers, trailing Virginia Tech. The Buckeyes moved from No. 3 in the BCS to No. 1 largely on the strength of a majority of first-place votes in the polls.
“I knew that LSU had the computer advantage on Oklahoma and USC,” Edwards said, citing schedule strength and quality victories as key components. “In my mind it was only a matter of whether a team like Virginia Tech might be able to be ranked ahead of LSU.” Edwards said when he saw LSU’s margin in the USA Today poll — and that Oklahoma, not Virginia Tech, was No. 3 in that poll — he knew the Tigers were a lock for No. 2 in the BCS standings.
Ohio State coach Jim Tressel voted his team No. 1 and LSU No. 2.
Miles voted LSU No. 1 and Ohio State No. 2.
No.
Hawaii is undefeated. I think they should have gotten a shot.
And BC.
Granted the coaches should have pulled the injured Booty againts Stanford. But a close game against a 5th ranked team with your second string Quarterback? How is that inexcusable?
Losing to Tennessee & S. Carolina does not make Georgia a contender.
“The BCS is pure junk and has to go. If the other divisions in college footbball can have a playoff, Div 1 can also. Get rid of this crap.”
Georgia got screwed.
Kansas got screwed.
It’s all about money. LSU in a title game in Louisiana? Think that will draw? There will be no playoff in Div IA, or whatever they call it now. The reason is simple, you posted this, you’re interested, and irritated. What the NCAA wants more than anything is money. Interested fans = money.
Now let us begin 40 days of hearing how great LSU and the SEC is, and how Ohio State doesn’t deserve to be in any bowl game let alone the NC. The underdog has won 7 of 9 BCS NC games.
Snark, good one!
Ugh. Make them keep slugging until there’s one standing.
Yawn. I’ll be paying more attention to the REAL NCAA football champs...the Football Championship Subdivision. Sixteen teams, four weekends, a real PLAYOFF, none of this beauty-contest bullcrap.
And don’t look now, but Appalachian State’s still in it, and gunning for a threepeat after knocking off my JMU boys. Those guys are scary good.
}:-)4
A healthy LSU should give OSU plenty to worry about.
WHOwaii would not have a winning record in the SEC.
It counts as a win, which is something LSU did over TN to win the SEC title.
Dawg fan here too, but if UGA doesn’t deserve to be in the top 2, then neither does OSU. How can one school that hasn’t played in 2 weeks hold position, while another school (with a longer winning streak) gets leapfrogged. Don’t forget, they were 3rd and 4th heading into this weekend and now are 1st and 5th???? WTF???
I guess it’s all about $$$ and the really big name schools.
UGA benefited by teams above them losing. Hardly a criteria for being the best team in the country.
uh, they lost to UT
Did I mean GEAUX!?!?!?
Hot Boudin
Cold CousCous
Come on, Tigers
Push, Push, Push!!!
(No offense to any sour-grapes-type dirt kicking going on today ;-))
Shoulda been Kansas.
“Yawn. I’ll be paying more attention to the REAL NCAA football champs...the Football Championship Subdivision. “
Division III baby, go Mount Union!
Herschel Walker was the big star in those days (he legitimately could have been a three-time Heisman Trophy winner), but they had one of the best defensive units in college football history. Defensive linemen Jimmy Payne and Freddie Gilbert were a fearsome combination, and defensive backs Terry Hoage (a two-time All-American who coach Vince Dooley desribed as the best defensive player he'd ever seen) and Jeff Sanchez were one of the best pairs of safeties ever to step on a football field.
Add kicker Kevin Butler to the mix, and you've got about a half-dozen players on those 1982-83 teams who were #1 or #2 in the nation at their respective positions.
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