LSU's shot at history
A win over Alabama would put LSU in the driver's seat for a run at two in a row
By Brad Edwards
ESPN Insider
With two national powers from the SEC going head-to-head in Monday's Allstate BCS National Championship Game, it may be difficult for most of the country to find a rooting interest.
But within the context of college football history, the winner of this game between the LSU Tigers and Alabama Crimson Tide could be far more significant than just determining the next name on the list of consecutive national champs from the SEC.
With a win, Alabama would record its ninth national championship in either the AP or coaches' poll, which would move the Tide into sole possession of first place in that category, breaking a tie with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. And Nick Saban, who is already the only coach in the poll era (since 1936) to win a national title with more than one school, would become the 10th coach in the poll era with three national titles. There's no question that Saban is destined to land in the College Football Hall of Fame, but a win on Jan. 9 would put him in even more select company as one of the best to ever coach the game.
The historical possibilities, however, are even more intriguing if LSU wins. The Tigers would have twice beaten No. 2 Alabama and have also beaten No. 3 Oregon and No. 3 Arkansas. That would put them with 1943 Notre Dame as the only teams in college football history to defeat four teams ranked in the top three in a season.
But in terms of LSU's shot at history, there's even more that the Tigers could accomplish next season.
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Back-to-back national championships in college football are rare, but the Tigers -- win or lose Monday -- should have a very good chance to make another run in 2012. They will return almost all of their playmakers on both sides of the ball, and next season's schedule appears easier than the 2011 version, with the most difficult nonconference game being at home against the Washington Huskies. LSU also hosts Alabama at night on Nov. 3, and its conference road trips are to Auburn, Florida, Texas A&M and Arkansas.
Of the Tigers' underclassmen, only cornerback Morris Claiborne seems like an NFL first-round lock, and if he's the lone early departure, there's a really good chance LSU is preseason No. 1 -- especially if it wins the upcoming BCS title game. And over the last couple of decades, defending national champions to be voted preseason No. 1 have only rarely been overhyped.
If one was, it was Alabama's 2010 team that had lost nine defensive starters and was preseason No. 1 almost by default. Despite finishing with 10 wins, it had three close losses and blew a 24-0 lead over eventual national champion Auburn. The talent level of that team was evident, but inexperience was its downfall. Before that, however, the previous four defending AP national champions to start the season at No. 1 all won at least their first 12 games.
The 2009 Florida Gators were 12-0 before losing to Alabama in the SEC championship game. The 2005 USC Trojans were 12-0 before losing to the Texas Longhorns in the BCS title game, and that was a year after the '04 Trojans went unbeaten and repeated as AP national champs. The 2002 Miami Hurricanes were 12-0 before losing to the Ohio State Buckeyes for the BCS championship.
A common theme among those teams, however, is that they all had a returning starter at quarterback. With both Jordan Jefferson and Jarrett Lee being seniors, LSU won't have that luxury in 2012. Over the last 50 years, there have been only four defending champions given a preseason No. 1 ranking without their QB returning ('96 Nebraska, '73 USC, '72 Nebraska, '66 Alabama) and none of them won the national title (although the Alabama team finished 11-0 behind Kenny Stabler).
It's probably fair to say, though, that LSU's winning formula isn't nearly as dependent upon QB play as those others were. Next season's team would certainly seem capable of succeeding without experience behind center, and on top of that, a lot of people believe projected starter Zach Mettenberger is a better passer than Jefferson or Lee.
If that's the case, and if LSU were able to beat Alabama on Monday and win the national championship again next season, the Tigers would likely join some very elite company. Since the coaches' poll began in 1950, only two teams have won consecutive national championships in both the AP and coaches' polls: Oklahoma in 1955-56 and Nebraska in 1994-95. It would be incredibly difficult to do, especially playing in the SEC, but LSU could be capable of it.
And then there's the coach. Les Miles has spent most of his career at LSU in the shadow of Saban, who eight years ago led the Tigers to their first national championship since 1958. Despite Miles winning his own national title at LSU four years ago, it may have taken the majority of Tigers fans until last season's win over Alabama to accept Miles as Saban's equal; others might not have turned that page until this season's win in Tuscaloosa.
But to a lot of people who follow college football from a more neutral perspective, Miles is still missing something. There's no question he can recruit at a high level, and he earned National Coach of the Year honors this season for the way he skillfully managed his roster and pushed the right motivational buttons. Even so, many analysts in recent weeks have said about the BCS title game, I'll take Nick Saban with a month to prepare.
Well, make no mistake: If LSU wins Monday's showdown, Miles will finally receive his due praise. If he's beaten Saban three times in two seasons, even the biggest critics of Miles will have to concede he's at least earned the right to be even with Saban on the list of college football's top coaches, and logic would tell you that he should be ahead of him.
It would be the second national championship for Miles, which would equal the number owned by Saban and would likely secure his place in the College Football Hall of Fame as well. Only four coaches with more than one national title haven't already been inducted, and all of them -- Saban, Urban Meyer, Pete Carroll and Dennis Erickson -- are either still coaching (Carroll in the NFL, obviously) or (in the case of Erickson) just retired within the last few weeks.
But if Miles were to win this year's BCS championship and then lead the Tigers to a repeat next season, that would place him in some truly select company. Three national titles in a six-year span has been accomplished by only two coaches since 1950: Bear Bryant and Tom Osborne. Think about that. In just 12 months, Miles could go from not quite measuring up to Saban to being on a very short list with Bryant. In the SEC, that's kind of a big deal.
Of course, Miles and LSU haven't won anything yet. But their run at history could be just getting started Monday night.
A win over Alabama would put LSU in the driver's seat for a run at two in a row
By Brad Edwards
ESPN Insider
With two national powers from the SEC going head-to-head in Monday's Allstate BCS National Championship Game, it may be difficult for most of the country to find a rooting interest.
But within the context of college football history, the winner of this game between the LSU Tigers and Alabama Crimson Tide could be far more significant than just determining the next name on the list of consecutive national champs from the SEC.
With a win, Alabama would record its ninth national championship in either the AP or coaches' poll, which would move the Tide into sole possession of first place in that category, breaking a tie with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. And Nick Saban, who is already the only coach in the poll era (since 1936) to win a national title with more than one school, would become the 10th coach in the poll era with three national titles. There's no question that Saban is destined to land in the College Football Hall of Fame, but a win on Jan. 9 would put him in even more select company as one of the best to ever coach the game.
The historical possibilities, however, are even more intriguing if LSU wins. The Tigers would have twice beaten No. 2 Alabama and have also beaten No. 3 Oregon and No. 3 Arkansas. That would put them with 1943 Notre Dame as the only teams in college football history to defeat four teams ranked in the top three in a season.
But in terms of LSU's shot at history, there's even more that the Tigers could accomplish next season.
<OFFER>
Back-to-back national championships in college football are rare, but the Tigers -- win or lose Monday -- should have a very good chance to make another run in 2012. They will return almost all of their playmakers on both sides of the ball, and next season's schedule appears easier than the 2011 version, with the most difficult nonconference game being at home against the Washington Huskies. LSU also hosts Alabama at night on Nov. 3, and its conference road trips are to Auburn, Florida, Texas A&M and Arkansas.
Of the Tigers' underclassmen, only cornerback Morris Claiborne seems like an NFL first-round lock, and if he's the lone early departure, there's a really good chance LSU is preseason No. 1 -- especially if it wins the upcoming BCS title game. And over the last couple of decades, defending national champions to be voted preseason No. 1 have only rarely been overhyped.
If one was, it was Alabama's 2010 team that had lost nine defensive starters and was preseason No. 1 almost by default. Despite finishing with 10 wins, it had three close losses and blew a 24-0 lead over eventual national champion Auburn. The talent level of that team was evident, but inexperience was its downfall. Before that, however, the previous four defending AP national champions to start the season at No. 1 all won at least their first 12 games.
The 2009 Florida Gators were 12-0 before losing to Alabama in the SEC championship game. The 2005 USC Trojans were 12-0 before losing to the Texas Longhorns in the BCS title game, and that was a year after the '04 Trojans went unbeaten and repeated as AP national champs. The 2002 Miami Hurricanes were 12-0 before losing to the Ohio State Buckeyes for the BCS championship.
A common theme among those teams, however, is that they all had a returning starter at quarterback. With both Jordan Jefferson and Jarrett Lee being seniors, LSU won't have that luxury in 2012. Over the last 50 years, there have been only four defending champions given a preseason No. 1 ranking without their QB returning ('96 Nebraska, '73 USC, '72 Nebraska, '66 Alabama) and none of them won the national title (although the Alabama team finished 11-0 behind Kenny Stabler).
It's probably fair to say, though, that LSU's winning formula isn't nearly as dependent upon QB play as those others were. Next season's team would certainly seem capable of succeeding without experience behind center, and on top of that, a lot of people believe projected starter Zach Mettenberger is a better passer than Jefferson or Lee.
If that's the case, and if LSU were able to beat Alabama on Monday and win the national championship again next season, the Tigers would likely join some very elite company. Since the coaches' poll began in 1950, only two teams have won consecutive national championships in both the AP and coaches' polls: Oklahoma in 1955-56 and Nebraska in 1994-95. It would be incredibly difficult to do, especially playing in the SEC, but LSU could be capable of it.
And then there's the coach. Les Miles has spent most of his career at LSU in the shadow of Saban, who eight years ago led the Tigers to their first national championship since 1958. Despite Miles winning his own national title at LSU four years ago, it may have taken the majority of Tigers fans until last season's win over Alabama to accept Miles as Saban's equal; others might not have turned that page until this season's win in Tuscaloosa.
But to a lot of people who follow college football from a more neutral perspective, Miles is still missing something. There's no question he can recruit at a high level, and he earned National Coach of the Year honors this season for the way he skillfully managed his roster and pushed the right motivational buttons. Even so, many analysts in recent weeks have said about the BCS title game, I'll take Nick Saban with a month to prepare.
Well, make no mistake: If LSU wins Monday's showdown, Miles will finally receive his due praise. If he's beaten Saban three times in two seasons, even the biggest critics of Miles will have to concede he's at least earned the right to be even with Saban on the list of college football's top coaches, and logic would tell you that he should be ahead of him.
It would be the second national championship for Miles, which would equal the number owned by Saban and would likely secure his place in the College Football Hall of Fame as well. Only four coaches with more than one national title haven't already been inducted, and all of them -- Saban, Urban Meyer, Pete Carroll and Dennis Erickson -- are either still coaching (Carroll in the NFL, obviously) or (in the case of Erickson) just retired within the last few weeks.
But if Miles were to win this year's BCS championship and then lead the Tigers to a repeat next season, that would place him in some truly select company. Three national titles in a six-year span has been accomplished by only two coaches since 1950: Bear Bryant and Tom Osborne. Think about that. In just 12 months, Miles could go from not quite measuring up to Saban to being on a very short list with Bryant. In the SEC, that's kind of a big deal.
Of course, Miles and LSU haven't won anything yet. But their run at history could be just getting started Monday night.
