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.
The best teams right now (in no particular order) are Okahoma, LSU, USC, and Ohio State.
Only two can go to the championship game. I believe the BCS has got it right as LSU and Ohio State were both ranked # 1 for several weeks throughout this season of ups and downs.
Oh yeah,
GO BUCKEYES !!
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If they hadn't lost to a South Carolina team that finished 6-6 this year they would have deserved a spot in the title game.
Its a play that saves the game, ranking, and third chance at number 1.
Does anyone else see a left over Katrina effect in this stuff?
Let us not forget mighty Hawaii and it’s 12-0 season.
Does a “narrow win” count as a win or a loss?
Except they lost to LSU -- by a landslide.
You sould like an avid Georgia fan..........
GO TIGERS!!!
sould = sound
“Does a “narrow win” count as a win or a loss?”
Well does a “desperation interception” still count as an interception. Just wondering.
How do you figure they got screwed? They didn’t even win their conference. Maybe if they had not gotten their butts handed to them by U-Tenn or lost to South Carolina then they would have had a chance to take on LSU.
Since I'm an Ohio State fan, I think it worked out pretty well. ;)
Sad what an injured quarteback can do to you. But then the second string did good until he met the Ducks, (before Dixons season ending injury), even then it was close.
In the eyes of the computer or the eyes of the voter? If it's a voter, a narrow win might not be much better than a loss, especially if you're trying to compare two teams. If Team A beats Team C by 40 points and Team B beats Team C by 2 points, doesn't Team A look like a better team than Team B?
This "a win is a win" stuff doesn't fly in college football, for better or for worse.
No, no, their prime reason for existence is to churn out as many indoctrinated liberals as possible. Never lose sight of that.
Plus, it gives many young men a chance to go to school they otherwise wouldn't have.
This is capitalism at work, and working well, your argument that it detracts from academics just doesn't hold up.
As far as the Bull Crap System is concerned, it is obviously a failure; we need an 8 or 16 team playoff system.
“GO TIGERS!!!”
Did you mean geaux? Hey fightin Tigers!
2. Win conference championship game
Until and unless you accomplish the above, please shut up and go away.
p.s. Is there anyone whinier than an SEC fan?
Go Hawaii!!
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