LSU-Alabama BCS title game is another win for SEC
One of these coaches will hold the BCS trophy. But the SEC already has won it. (AP photo)
NEW ORLEANS – If it is true, as Socrates once said, that, “Envy is the ulcer of the soul,” every other college football conference in America has been speed-eating Tums for the past six years.
LSU and Alabama play in the BCS championship game on Monday night in the Superdome. But this is sort of like two gladiators battling for the right to be viewed as the favorite son of the emperor. The emperor already has won.
This will make six consecutive BCS titles won by SEC schools. It will make eight championships in the 13 years the game has been played, far exceeding the closest member of the lower class (the Big 12 with two).
One would have to go back to the early 1900s of Ivy League domination to find a conference with such a run. But to wax on about the greatness of Princeton, Yale and Harvard football is sort of like referencing the Tyrannosaurus rex ruling over the animal kingdom. Ivy League football didn’t have a lot of competition back then, unless you count Ivy League crew.
The SEC is 7-0 in championship games. So the irony is it will take two conference schools playing each other for the first time for it to suffer its first loss. The SEC has redefined the blueprint for world domination.
When asked Sunday if he foresaw anything that could derail this train, LSU coach Les Miles said, “Not at this point.”
Feel free to add the words, “… in this decade” or “… in this century,” depending on your perspective.
This is what the 2011 SEC media guide cover looked like. It will need to be updated for next season.
SEC commissioner Mike Slive knew the passion and culture of college football that existed in his conference. He recognizes the SEC’s mega-millions television contracts have enabled athletic departments to lure the best coaches and build Taj Majal-like practice facilities. The obvious ripple effects: better recruits and more wins.
But even he admits this streak was unfathomable. It’s stupid-great. It’s Joe DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak, UCLA’s 88 straight wins in men’s basketball and Edwin Moses’ 122 straight hurdles wins great. The six straight titles will have been won by four schools (LSU, Alabama, Florida, Auburn) but that doesn’t diminish the run’s significance.
“It’s one of those records that I think will never be broken,” he said. “I’m an optimist by nature, but I don’t think anybody can have expectations of this. I remember a few years ago thinking, ‘Wow. We won two straight.’”
Slive’s reading list last summer included an appropriate book: “”56: Joe DiMaggio and the Last Magic Number in Sports.”
“That’s when I realized this is a record that in many ways is as phenomenal as DiMaggio’s record, and just hard to imagine in the future,” he said.
Then again: “We could break our own record.”
LSU has a good chance to be a preseason No. 1 next season. Alabama won’t be far behind.
Clearly money is a huge factor, but as Slive points out, “We’re not unique in our ability to develop significant revenue. At least one other conference has been able to do that.”
Slive didn’t come out and reference the Big Ten by name. It’s not polite.
Alabama defensive coordinator and former Georgia safety and Kirby Smart also referenced the conference’s high profile coaches, but said the reason for the conference’s success goes beyond that. “Regionally, high school football, in my opinion, is so great in the SEC states,” he said. “My dad’s a high school coach, and I’ve always believed that. … Everybody talks about the [defensive] line, but there are other skilled players. In the South, if you’re a really good athlete, you may play cornerback. That’s not necessarily true everywhere else — they’re [wide receivers].”
Since the AP poll started in 1936, the previous conference title streak of three was held by the SEC (1978-80) and the Big Ten (1940-42). That has been obliterated. The titles have elevated the conference in the eyes of the nation’s top recruits.
Recalling his days as a high school recruit, Alabama linebacker Courtney Upshaw said his top three signing choices all were recent national champions from the SEC.
“I just felt like my main thing was to get to an SEC school if I wanted to be remembered,” he said. “You know what I’m saying?”
Upshaw is playing in his second BCS title game in three years. Safe to conclude he chose well.
By Jeff Schultz
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417 comments Add your comment
UGA Grady Grad
January 8th, 2012
7:00 pm
The truth behind Georgia kids that attend the University of Alabama…
http://onlyina.blogspot.com/2012/01/its-not-ugas-fault-youre-idiot.html
GTBob
January 8th, 2012
7:01 pm
you know, people like GTbob…
Nope. I’m not watching the game. I have other things to do. But yes, I will be back to bash the game afterwards.
Soy un perdedor
January 8th, 2012
7:04 pm
Of course you will, GTBob. That’s what you do.
Rick James
January 8th, 2012
7:21 pm
@GTBob
Nobody thinks like you but other Tech fans and supporters of other loosing programs..
Steve
January 8th, 2012
7:26 pm
1) Plenty of people are excited about the game. It is going to be a much better game than all those stupid NC games where the Big Ten or Pac Ten got a free ride.
2) UGA continues to embarass the SEC in bowl games? Really? Have you looked at the Dawgs record lately. They are 11-4 in their last 15 bowl games.
Please stop pulling stuff out of your backside on these boards. You Tech fans and SEC haters are just bitter little morons. Making up stuff to suit your cause is lame and pathetic. Then again, so is GaTech football.
Atlanta Blue
January 8th, 2012
7:26 pm
Highest priced tickets in the history of Stub Hub.
Yeah, no one cares about this game.
How would a GT fan know what “interest in a game” was? They made their stadium smaller and still only sell out twice a year.
Misty From Macon
January 8th, 2012
7:27 pm
I’m not speaking for myself. I have talked to plenty of people about the game
Yeah, but they were all ACC Fans. I remember when the ACC talked Miami and VT into joining their conference. Everyone thought that with those two teams the ACC would dominate for years to come. Boy, were WE wrong!!!
Miami didn’t even make the bowl series this year, GT & VT lost again, and Clemson was HUMILIATED. One bright spot though, FSU beat a badly coached inferior team. I guess that’s something to brag about.
GTBob
January 8th, 2012
7:29 pm
Yeah, but they were all ACC Fans.
Im not sure there is a such thing as an ACC fan. The SEC is the only conference where fans pretend to care about the other teams in the conference.
a good thing!
January 8th, 2012
7:30 pm
SEC has a loser tomorrow!
Rick James
January 8th, 2012
7:31 pm
@Pulpwud Smiff
Dont know if you read the Forbes article placing UGA in the top ten most valuble football programs in Amercia.Overall the school win loose or draw is raking in a ton of money which makes everybody’s world go round.When was the time UGA beat Tech,Auburn,Florida and Tennesee all in the same season and played in the SEC championship game? I’m not saying that’s great but its what the powers that be will settle for.
GTBob
January 8th, 2012
7:32 pm
Highest priced tickets in the history of Stub Hub.
Yeah, no one cares about this game.
LSU and Alabama fans certainly care about the game. They are pretty much the only ones though. Luckily they aren’t the smartest fans around so the scalpers can easily drive up higher prices.
Boobie Bowden
January 8th, 2012
7:34 pm
UGA is great. UGA football is great. UGA Football coach is great. UGA Defense is great. UGA Defense coach is great. UGA fans suck.
Alphare
January 8th, 2012
7:38 pm
LSU-BAMA game tells me the BCS system is a fair system which is not swayed by lots of opinionated opposition to LSU-BAMA rematch.
The coaches and voters believe LSU-BAMA are the two best teams, and voted that way despite strong anti-rematch sentiment by other conferences’ fans.
If Stanford or Okie State is in this game, it would be an automatic win for LSU, and as a result LSU wouldn’t earn their title. BAMA as the 2nd best will make sure LSU honestly earn their title if LSU wins, not given to them as a status quo.
Bammer fan
January 8th, 2012
7:39 pm
You dang right they cost a lot of money I had to sail my mobile home!
ARdawg
January 8th, 2012
7:39 pm
Boobie Bowden
1-11
ARdawg
January 8th, 2012
7:41 pm
Alphare
I don’t think there’s many people that deny LSU and Bama are the two best teams. But, we’ve already seen that game and Bama lost
Dawg48
January 8th, 2012
7:42 pm
Alphare
We already know LSU is better than bamma, we don’t know if okie st is.
5150 UOAD
January 8th, 2012
7:42 pm
WHEN is UGa going to be talked about in this GAME?
UGAhopeful
January 8th, 2012
7:43 pm
How ’bout Georgia next year? Are we gonna be in that hunt, to help the SEC add to its total?? Oh yeah, right. I’m in fantasyland again!! But we may get Top 10 in women’s swimming! What a joke Georgia has become…oh, since maybe 1980?!!!!! SAD!
5150 UOAD
January 8th, 2012
7:43 pm
48 is LOOKING for a Fried TWINKIE.
Mad Dog One
January 8th, 2012
7:44 pm
Please all you D@$% A$$ know it alls don’t watch the NC game and see how much anyone cares. Only a techmite would brag about being a DA. This is the system we have so any real collage football fan will be watchong even if slippery rock played Georgia tech(NOT). As always GO DOGS & GATA
Misty From Macon
January 8th, 2012
7:45 pm
Just think, the FIFTH best team in the SEC (UGA) took the Big 10 co champ MSU to 3 overtimes and only lost because of a head case kicker. The rest of college football
they should’ve won that game! What the heck was wrong with BoBo? why did he keep running the ball (to kill the clock) when he should’ve at least SURPRISED MSU by throwing the dang ball sometimes!!
BoBo is supposed to be good at his job, IMO, he should go back to Little League to freshen up his skills.
GTBob
January 8th, 2012
7:45 pm
I don’t think there’s many people that deny LSU and Bama are the two best teams.
I don’t think anyone knows for sure. All the experts said Clemson was better then West Virginia. What has Bama done this year that is so impressive?
5150 UOAD
January 8th, 2012
7:46 pm
UGAhopeful……………….Sell that CRAZY somewhere else. WE have ALL heard the for 30+ years. I know I know UGa is the PRESEASON National Champs every year. How Bout shutting the F Up and Deliver the mail.
Georgia
January 8th, 2012
7:46 pm
Georgia is 1-13 against ranked opponents, since beginning of ‘06 season! So of course, let’s talk contract extentions! We can beat Georgia Southern….just not any ranked teams! Oh…and yeah, we lost to Central Florida.
5150 UOAD
January 8th, 2012
7:47 pm
But But but UGa is the #1 PARTY SCHOOL in the NATION.
Dawg48
January 8th, 2012
7:48 pm
LSU = SEC champ
LSU beat West Virginia the Big east champ.
LSU beat Oregon the Pac12 champ
LSU beat Alabama already.
If the ” coaches and voters” new what they were doing Oklahoma would be playing in the game because they were preseason #1.
5150 UOAD
January 8th, 2012
7:48 pm
TEBOW TEBOW TEBOW
Misty From Macon
January 8th, 2012
7:49 pm
Im not sure there is a such thing as an ACC fan. The SEC is the only conference where fans pretend to care about the other teams in the conference
Don’t know what you mean by that^^. But this is Southern Football — the only people in the country more rabid about football than Southern fans are the people who are from Texas.
My point: We’re like family, we can call each other names; but if you try it you’ll get the beat down. Sorry. It’s just the way it is.
5150 UOAD
January 8th, 2012
7:50 pm
Dawg48 sell CRAZY some place else we are all stocked up from the UGa fans trying to sell it all year. LOL.
48 you have a good day?
Dawg48
January 8th, 2012
7:50 pm
Hines ward owns TEBOW!
Dawg48
January 8th, 2012
7:51 pm
5150
It’s been nice so far. How about you?
Fbguy
January 8th, 2012
7:52 pm
I haven’t met anyone yet who isn’t intrigued by the game and planning to watch. SEC fans here shouldn’t miss it.
Fan of the Game
January 8th, 2012
7:53 pm
After watching the Under Armour circus game on TV where a mother disagreed with where her son chose to play and where there are no fathers with these kids that make these committmants and watching teams like Clemson, Washington and Baylor embarrass the game with no sign of defense. Sometimes I wonder where the true meaning of college football is going. But maybe we will have a good championship game. Bama by 10.
Dawg48
January 8th, 2012
7:53 pm
The Tech receiver just dropped the ball on that big 3rd down!
George
January 8th, 2012
7:53 pm
The excellent AJC columnists (Jeff & Mark Bradley) are the only people, it seems, to be able to tell it like it is…and put pressure on the powers that be, over at UGA. I wish they would talk about Georgia’s abysmal record against ranked (quality) opponents, so maybe UGA would pull the plug on this staff, so maybe we could end up in the National Championship game—before I drop dead of old age!!!!!!!!!
5150 UOAD
January 8th, 2012
7:53 pm
Moved a John Deere tractor to the farm and did some Bush hogging in the rain.
No FACE MASK fo the 1st Down against then Steelers? TEBOW should have a new set of downs.
Misty From Macon
January 8th, 2012
7:55 pm
I don’t think anyone knows for sure. All the experts said Clemson was better then West Virginia. What has Bama done this year that is so impressive?
What has GT done? Oh wait, they lost to MIAMI.
Miami who couldn’t even get enough wins in to make a bowl appearance; but beat the heck outta GT. Classic!
Dawg48
January 8th, 2012
7:56 pm
5150
Your always hogging the bush!
5150 UOAD
January 8th, 2012
7:56 pm
I am about done with the NFL. the REFS suck and the game outcome is based on the refs calls.
Dawg48
January 8th, 2012
7:57 pm
Wow that was close!
5150 UOAD
January 8th, 2012
7:57 pm
But the BUSH need a Root HOG to keep it happy.
5150 UOAD
January 8th, 2012
7:59 pm
DAWG with the Deflection of a pass to a DAWG
Dawg48
January 8th, 2012
7:59 pm
Champ Bailey still owns Hines ward! Lol
Misty From Macon
January 8th, 2012
7:59 pm
anybody watching this steeler vs. broncos game? ths is turning out to be a great game. i thought that the steelers would eat the broncos up and spit them out but ..
dang champ bailey (UGA) just made a great play. this might go into over time.
ARdawg
January 8th, 2012
8:00 pm
“I don’t think anyone knows for sure. All the experts said Clemson was better then West Virginia. What has Bama done this year that is so impressive?”
They held LSU to 9 points. Nobody else has done that
Seriously GT Bob, you honestly believe there is a better team than Bama to play LSU? Really? I don’t know what experts to which you refer. I had no doubt Clempson would get their hat handed to them. They just weren’t any good. Afterall, Tech beat them
5150 UOAD
January 8th, 2012
8:00 pm
FREE FOOTBALL.
Dawg48
January 8th, 2012
8:00 pm
This will be a loooooooooooong kick!
5150 UOAD
January 8th, 2012
8:01 pm
Block and return if they try
Misty From Macon
January 8th, 2012
8:01 pm
Overtime it is.