A SEC Re-Match…

By now you no doubt have heard the roar of joy and, dissatisfaction about the National Championship Game scheduled for January 9, 2012. ‘Seems the vote was unanimous for SEC, undefeated, LSU who sits comfortably in the #1 spot in all polls. Not so easily and not so unanimously, we find Alabama precariously sitting at #2 while much of the nation takes um-bridge with the choice.  It is no doubt a very unusual spot to be in and one without much precedent since the inception of the BCS.

Alabama did not win the SEC West, as we’ve mentioned before (they lost to LSU by 3 points in overtime) and therefore did not play in the SEC Championship Game last weekend. The disagreement has been that OK State, who soundly beat their rival OK last weekend, should be in the #2 spot and play LSU for the National Title. We knew from the BCS gurus that it would take an awful big swing to put OK State(lost to unranked Iowa St.) ahead of Bama, but nevertheless, it seemed to come as a shock to the Cowboys and others. Who can blame them?

I am a southerner, but I watch football from September to January each year as it is played across the country. And, I have seen a huge difference in the caliber of “play” across this nation this season and last - there’s no denying it. Traditional power houses like Michigan, Ohio State, Texas, and others have slipped out of the picture. I can totally understand the nation’s reasons for having “SEC fatigue”. The SEC has won the last 5 National Championships and now…, there is no doubt it will become “6″.

You see, I am admitting how very odd it is. But, I do think that Alabama and LSU are the best 2 teams in the nation. I have watched a lot of football (just ask my husband) and read about it and listened to commentary on it. Would it be fun to see OK State play LSU? Yeah, I guess it would. But, I can honestly say that I think LSU would dominate so profoundly that it would not be fun for very long -for anyone but the Bayou Bengals.

I’ve heard a lot of talk about the system being “flawed” and so much speculation about how it could be improved. I say, “of course it is flawed”! Let’s be realistic! “Polls” are involved, humans vote in polls, fans have favorites and coaches vote favoring their teams. What a shock…

I’ve been watching football for a long time (I’m old). I remember when the UPI (no longer exists) and AP polls sometimes came up with 2 different teams for the #1 spot at season’s end. I’ve seen countless losses that could be attributed to an officiating mistake or a inaccurate “call” – now, we have replay to help with that, but it’s still not perfect. Have you ever noticed that in our country’s national elections, the electoral voters don’t always vote the consensus of their constituents? Do you remember that 7th grade student council race at your school where the most popular kid got elected, rather than the most qualified?

We are not likely to wipe out bias and create a perfect system. We cannot do anything about the voters who lack integrity and we cannot control the behavior or misbehavior of others. All we can do is make sure that WE operate with integrity and hope that the men and women who lead our student athletes do the same.

So, it is an SEC rematch. I am not happy that it will be debated and debunked until January 9th. But, I believe that once play begins we will see have little doubt that it was a good choice. If I am wrong, I’ll surely admit it.