After four months, 13 games and nearly 24 hours of hand-wringing, the second BCS championship game berth came down to a margin as narrow as the last LSU-Alabama game.
Alabama edged Oklahoma State to reach the rematch against LSU on Jan. 9. In Sunday’s final BCS standings, Alabama’s rating of .9419 barely beat Oklahoma State’s .9333. Since college football revamped the BCS formula in 2004, never has the difference been that close.
“We were very disappointed,” Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy told ESPN. “We felt like we worked very hard. We had a tough loss (at Iowa State), but we came back and did everything we could do to dominate the game against Oklahoma.”
Saturday’s 44-10 rout of Oklahoma leapfrogged Oklahoma State ahead of Alabama into second in the six computer rankings. It also jumped the Cowboys from fifth to third in the two human polls, which, with the computers, comprise the three elements of the BCS formula.
But the Cowboys, whose lone loss was to a 6-6 Iowa State team, still finished 240 points behind Alabama in the Harris poll and 217 points behind in the USA Today coaches poll.
The outcome provides a rematch of LSU’s 9-6 overtime win over host Alabama on Nov. 5. The Crimson Tide is the only team to come within 13 points of the unbeaten Tigers. However, it also didn’t win its division, while OSU won the highly rated Big 12.
“I don’t see why there’s any reason to keep mulling over the system,” Alabama coach Nick Saban told ESPN. “The system we have is the system. LSU is the No. 1 team and we’re the No. 2 team. It is what it is. I’m proud of the accomplishments of our team: the full body of work, the schedule that we played, the success that we had.
“I think there’s a lot of people out there who think these are the best two teams in the country and want to see them again.”
LSU became the first team since the BCS system was formed in 1998 to achieve a perfect score of 1.000. It was No. 1 in both polls and all six computers. LSU coach Les Miles says he has no problem about having to beat Alabama a second time.
“The upside is you understand your opponent,” Miles told ESPN. “You’ve seen them play. You’ve studied them before and obviously you’ve played them. We’ll probably both go right to that game and study and see how we fared and what adjustments in the game must be made.”
The biggest surprise in the bowl pairings came in the Sugar Bowl, which picked Virginia Tech, 11th in the BCS, to play No. 13 Michigan. Virginia Tech lost 38-10 to Clemson in Saturday’s Atlantic Coast Conference championship and did not beat a single top 25 team.
The committee passed over eighth-ranked Kansas State, which had beaten No. 12 Baylor and was fourth in the computers. Sugar Bowl CEO Paul Hoolahan said Virginia Tech’s traditionally strong following was a big factor.
The Hokies played in the Sugar after the 1995, 1999 and 2004 seasons.
“It was extremely important in the whole decision making,” Hoolahan said in a nationwide conference call. “We obviously had first-hand experience with them. It’s always been a very effective experience. So we didn’t think we had any problems.”
Also, Texas Christian did not move up from 18th into the top 16, necessary for any school from a nonqualifying conference to be BCS-bowl eligible. It wound up in the Poinsettia Bowl in San Diego, pushing Wyoming to kick off the bowl season in the New Mexico Bowl on Dec. 17 against Temple.
BCS matchups
Rose Bowl
3 p.m., Jan. 2, Pasadena, Calif.
Wisconsin (11-2) vs. Oregon (11-2). If Wisconsin thought TCU was fast in last season’s Rose Bowl, watch out.
Fiesta Bowl
6:30 p.m., Jan. 2, Glendale, Ariz.
Stanford (11-1) vs. Oklahoma State (11-1). Arguably best game on board, with QBs Andrew Luck and Brandon Weeden matched up.
Sugar Bowl
6:30 p.m., Jan. 3, New Orleans
Michigan (10-2) vs. Virginia Tech (11-2). Let’s see how much Michigan’s D has truly improved against tailback David Wilson, the ACC player of the year.
Orange Bowl
6:30 p.m., Jan. 4, Miami
West Virginia (9-3) vs. Clemson (10-3). Which Clemson team shows up against the Big Least’s co-champion?
BCS championship
6:30 p.m., Jan. 9, New Orleans
Alabama (11-1) vs. Louisiana State (13-0). Top two defenses meet again. Who allows a touchdown?
