Sports

LSU Is Still the Best Team in the Nation

It was a tough weekend for the LSU Tigers. Needless to say, I was very disappointed that they lost to the Wildcats of Kentucky (who I predict will lose big to Florida next weekend). Nevertheless, I agree with ESPN’s Colin Cowherd who says that LSU should still be ranked as the best team in the nation, not Ohio State.

Even though Ohio State has a perfect record thus far, they do so as a member of the “wobbly Big 10.” In fact, Ohio State’s strength of schedule is ranked 118th in the nation. Ohio State was perfect last year and got drubbed by a one-loss SEC school, the Florida Gators.

Cowherd predicts the following: “USC’s got one loss. I don’t think they’re very good. LSU’s got one loss. I think they’re very, very good. And I think they’ll win the rest of their games here on out and play for a national championship.”

Now this guy knows what he’s talking about. Geaux Tigers!

18 Comments

  • Barry

    Daniel,
    Doesn’t strength of schedule mean anything? If LSU played Cleveland Community College and won, isn’t that less of a big deal than playing the Gators?

    Barry

    GO LSU!!

  • Alex Chediak

    Denny,

    The real injustice is CAL not being ranked in the top 10! But for one small peccadillo on the part of a red-shirt freshman quarterback, CAL would have won the game in overtime and come out ranked #1. CAL will likely SMOKE UCLA this weekend….

    Alex Chediak
    Cal Berkeley Class of 2004

    GO GOLDEN BEARS!

  • micah

    Daniel, you’re either drinking the kool-aid or deliberated trying to get Denny riled up. Since we all know that readers here never try to stir the pot with Denny, I can only assume that you forgot the golden rule of championships: the two best teams should play each other. Last time I checked, none of the Big Four professional sports have ever had two undefeated teams play in the championship. And rarely will any NCAA sport showcase a pair of undefeated teams. Given that every other sport in the NCAA provides a tournament or Olympic style championship, it seems even more ridiculous that NCAA football would appoint opponents to a single championship game simply because they beat eleven or twelve teams in one year without losing and without regard for any rational process that determines which two teams are indeed most qualified to play for a championship.

    See, now you got me riled up. Of course, we need a twelve team playoff anyway.

    Nice audio feed, Denny. I’m just disappointed to find out that Colin indeed looks nothing like Alan Colmes as I’d imagined in my head listening to him all these years.

  • Daniel

    that’s what makes college football different than the NFL–if you make a mistake, you’re pretty much out of the picture.

    Undefeated teams should get the first shot at the BCS championship. If there’s not two undefeated teams, then pick the best one-loss team to play.

    That’s how the system works.

  • GLW Johnson

    Denny
    I was listening to Colin Cowherd’s radio program on Monday while running some errands, but turned him off when he threw in his two cents on the interview 60 Minutes did with Joel Osteen- saying he really likes him and that Osteen’s critics are phonies. Good grief, Cowhard’s stock dropped off the charts with me after that lame-brain remark.I wouldn’t trust his judgment on anything!

  • micah

    actually, what you’re saying is: that’s what makes college football different from every other iteration of sport or competition practiced by man.

    there’s a slight difference, and it’s an arbitrary difference not found in any other championship process.

  • Billy

    A methodical system to determine championship game participants for a championship that is by nature, arbitrary…is ludicrous. However, should an 8, 12, 16 team playoff system be implemented; controversy could only be expected over the last team to get in versus the one left out. I believe a remedy for the current conundrum would be for the Major Conferences to mandate scheduling pre-conference exhibition opponents from other Major BCS Conferences; therefore reducing the number of undefeated or one-loss teams. This would keep the Ohio State and Boston College teams of this year from being ranked ahead of LSU or Oklahoma teams, which is clearly more talented. Not going to solve the problem, but might alleviate somewhat.

  • Daniel

    A playoff takes away from the rest of the season.

    Look at basketball. It doesn’t matter how well you do in the season, if you get hot at the right time of the year, you win.

    We have a playoff–it’s the season.

  • Don

    Denny I know what a LSU fan you are but they did not play the 4th period like a # 1 team… They played not to lose… I think they will be in the big game if they win the SEC title game vs who knows.. Ohio State has not played any of their tough ones in the 10 yet. It may come down to LSU USC or LSU Okie. Unless some of those still undefeated teams stay unbeaten.. I think they all will stumble…

  • D.J. Williams

    Umm, what about South Florida?

    Undefeated, with wins over SEC big shot Auburn (at Auburn) and top 5 ranked West Virginia. Plays in the Big East, which is viewed as a lightweight despite going 5-0 in bowl games last year. If USF’s name were something like “Miami,” “Michigan,” or “Tennessee,” we wouldn’t even be having a discussion about who’s #1. There’s a lot of football still to be played, but right now USF’s resume is easily the best.

    BTW: LSU fans, how do you justify even being ranked ahead of Kentucky, who has the same record as you, plays in the same conference as you, and BEAT you?

    Disclaimer: I am neither a USF or UK fan.

  • Micah

    Ok, this discussion has gotten out of hand. Let me breathe reason back into view. Randomly, a few rebuttals:

    1. Just because a person makes a statement that is a) obviously false or b) false by your judgement, that person is not necessarily a poor critic nor should that person be wholly dismissed. That said, Cowherd does have some pretty stange ideas from time to time.

    2. A win, especially a 3OT win at home, does not necessarily a better team make. Were that true, Colorado might be the best team in the Big 12, Stanford might be the best team in the Pac 10, and the SEC would self-destruct in an endless logical loop in which Kentucky is better than LSU is better than South Carolina is better than Kentucky is better than LSU is better than South Carolina is better than Kentucky is better than LSU is better than South Carolina is better than Kentucky…

    3. In the NCAA there are 23 sports and 39 separate championships without differentiating between divisions. Out of those championship processes, only one single instance pairs two teams arbitrarily chosen for the championship. Given that divisions II and III football, as well as every other NCAA sport, chooses a tournament or olympic style playoff, no amount of logic explains why the current bowl system produces a better result. Not even a similarly good result.

  • D.J. Williams

    Well, so much for USF. The sad thing is that because of their non-establishment status, one-loss USF won’t get a second chance, unlike one-loss LSU or Oklahoma (losers to Colorado, who one can rather convincingly argue is not as good as Rutgers). Let’s hope that the increasing parity in college football this year will illuminate the insanity of, as Micah put it, arbitrarily choosing the two teams who get to play for the championship.

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