Alabama wins the BCS national championship and its 14th overall

Wow and not the good awe inspiring way. Bama absolutely took it LSU in defeating them 21-0 leaving little doubt who is the national champion is. 21-0 doesn’t even really do justice to what the Crimson Tide were able to do to the Tigers. LSU didn’t even cross mid field until 8 minutes left in the game and were out gained 384 yards to just 92. LSU only had 5 first downs. The Tigers QB Jordan Jefferson had the deer in the headlights look on his face for most of the game going 11-17 for 53 yards and just never seemed comfortable against the smothering Bama defense. He was sacked four times and threw one ugly interception to the RB who wasn’t even looking when he threw it.

The Crimson Tide offense on the other hand seemed to come into this game with a purpose. Bama learned from the last game and had a much better game plan that featured A.J McCarron throwing the ball a lot more on first down and it led him being named the game’s offensive MVP. He was 23/34 for 234 yards. Trent Richardson had just 58 yards on 20 carries but this game was really all about the relentless Bama defense which shut the Tigers down in every conceivable way. When you have a great offensive line like I have, and great players around you, it makes your job easy as quarterback," McCarron said. "I've got to give all the credit to them. I wish I could have the whole team up here."

So Nick Saban is at the top of the hill yet again becoming the first coach to win 3 BCS National Championships and Alabama collects its 14th title. Everyone watching and in attendance were anticipating a clash of the titans that would make for an epic back and forth battle or as Les Miles said a match of “Big-boy football” but this one was never in doubt after the first whistle was blown.

Congratulations to the Alabama Crimson Tide, your NCAA National Champion of 2011-12.



What they are saying about the game:



New Orleans radio host Bobby Herbert, former NFL QB: “It’s like ‘Alice in Wonderland.’ The clock struck midnight on the Mad Hatter.”



Pat Forde of Yahoo! Sports: Perhaps we should have known Sunday morning, when Nick Saban was both witty and relaxed in his final news conference before he undressed Les Miles.



Gene Wojciechowski of ESPN: To those LSU followers who think they got short-sheeted by the BCS … To those Oklahoma State honks who insist their team belonged here Monday night … To those Associated Press voters who said they would keep LSU atop their ballots even if the Tigers lost to Alabama …To all of them I say, "Are you nuts?"

Steve Greenberg of Sporting News: Worst of all, according to Alabama linebacker Courtney Upshaw, the game’s defensive MVP, Jefferson was playing scared. “A lot of our guys were coming to the sideline (after stops) and talking about him,” Upshaw said. “Every time he’d go into the huddle, he was looking at us. I think he was pretty rattled.”

Sportaholic Weekend Run Down 11/21/11

This has to be one of the best weekends in a long time for sport heads like myself. You had two championship decided as Tony Stewart took down Carl Edwards in what some are calling the best Nascar championship ever. Stewart won 5 races out of 10 “The Chase”, Nascar’s equivalent to the playoffs. Next it was soccer’s turn as Major League Soccer crowned its champion in the L.A. Galaxy featuring soccer superstars David Beckham and Landon Donavan. Two championships in one week is nothing but gravy on top of an already chaotic football slate. The BCS has officially been turned on its head as 3 of the top 5 lost for the first time since 2008 as Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and Oregon went down fighting this weekend. In the NFL, another big time QB suffered what appears to be a season ending injury. Just another weekend packed full of turns and twists in the world of sports.

Tony Stewart steals Sprint Cup from Carl Edwards: This season all but verified the much maligned “Chase for the Cup” in my opinion. Tony Stewart was considered nothing more but after thought at the beginning as favorites Jimmie Johnson and Carl Edwards was what the pundits had predicted. Stewart had other ideas as he opened the chase with a win at Chicagoland another the next week and three more at Martinsville, Texas and finally Homestead. Had it not been for Edwards consistency, as he never finished lower than 9th other than Martinsville 11th place finish, Stewart would have ran away with this one. The two battled hard all day but as all Edwards had to do was take the lead during the last 50 laps of the race but Stewart was unrelenting and would never give up the lead to Edwards. The two finished with the same identical points amount but Stewart won the tie-breaker by wins as he had 5 to Edwards 1. Great way to end the year by the boys in Nascar. I know my writing colleague Amanda Vincent will get a kick out of my Nascar coverage.

L.A. Galaxy win the MLS Cup: Five years ago the Galaxy made a move that gave soccer some momentum here in the states. They went and signed English superstar David Beckham and welcomed him and wife to L.A. They teamed him with the best US player, Landon Donovan and everyone expected them to begin a dynasty in the city of angels. Five years later and this is the first and maybe the last championship for the duo. The Galaxy would able to take the cup on the strength of Donovan’s goal that gave them a 1-0 lead in the 72nd minute that they would never relinquish Hopefully, this isn’t the last of this team as Beckham’s contract is due to expire at the end of this year. Soccer in America finally has a marquee team and L.A has their first soccer championship.

Jay Cutler breaks thumb on throwing hand: The collective groan you just hear is from the entire city of Chicago. Just when it seemed the Cutler and the Bears had it all together, the injury bug rears its ugly head. The former pro bowl QB has been confirmed to have suffered a broken thumb on his throwing hand. Cutler had just posted 286 yards passing and two touchdown passes to lead the Bears over San Diego and overall to their fifth straight win. This is a major blow to the “Monsters of the Midway” as they were in prime position to at least make a run at the wild card in the NFC. The Packers are 3 games ahead of them in the division so it would hard for Chicago to catch with or without their QB. Cutler was enjoying his best year since joining the Bears in 2009. His 231.9 passing yards per game were the most since the trade and he had cut down on his turnovers as he has only thrown 7 interceptions this year. This is a big blow to a team that isn’t getting any younger. The Bears will have to go with back up Caleb Haynie in the meantime and hope Cutler can make it back when the playoffs begin. That if they are able to make it without him.

BCS turned upside down: The SEC now represents the top three teams in the latest standings as LSU, Alabama, and Arkansas flex the SEC’s muscle. The change up top came as Oklahoma St. lost to Iowa St., Oregon lost to USC, and Oklahoma lost to Baylor. This becomes a worst case scenario for all those who love the BCS (I haven’t met many) as now there is an entire brigade of 1-loss teams that have claim at the top spot. Bama reclaims the top spot and as crazy as it sounds could find itself in the BCS championship game without winning its own conference. LSU and Arkansas play this weekend in what will become another behemoth de facto game as the winner will determine who represents the SEC West in the SEC championship game. The upsets had to be expected as each year it seems a team on the verge on playing in the championship game goes down in dramatic fashion. Who knows who will make it in this year, but it always fun to watch the teams battle all the way to the finish line.

Great game from Tennessee and Vanderbilt: Being from Tennessee, its always a fun mini-rivalry game between the two SEC schools. Tennessee dominates the series and that’s why I can’t give full rivalry status. This last game they played might go down in history as one of the best. Vandy’s Jordan Rodgers had three costly turnovers and the final miscue cost the Commodores the game as Eric Gordon’s interception and 90 yard-return sealed the game for the Vols. Tyler Bray came back from injury to throw for 189 yards and two touchdowns. Tauren Poole was the difference maker in my opinion as he topped the century mark going for 110 yards and helping Tennessee control the line of scrimmage. The Commodores could have won this had it not been all of the turnovers. The Dores have lost close game to Florida, Georgia, and now arch enemy Tennessee. Great game by both counterparts and this one should make everyone for next years rematch.

SEC Game of the Week: LSU Tigers vs. Alabama Crimson Tide

Ladies and Gentlemen in the Main Event the blog I’ve been waiting to write all year, on my left the home team in the crimson white coming in at 2 in the nation boasting Heisman Trophy candidate Trent Williams and a stout rushing attack coached by Nick ‘ Satan aka Benedict Arnold aka backstabber Saban the ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE. And on my right coming in at 1 from Death Valley led by Jarrett ‘Call him what you want but don’t call him a comeback story” Lee and coached by Les “The Mad Hatter” Miles the LSU FIGHTING TIGERS. Brace yourself college football fans this is the game of the year 1 vs. 2 and its LSU vs. Alabama tickets to this matchup are at $10,500. This game has gotten so big CBS has moved from its original 2:30 pm to PRIMETIME 7 PM These two teams have faced each other over the years from 1993 when top ranked, undefeated, and riding a 31 game winning streak Alabama faced a hapless LSU team. A Mobile (Ala) newspaper writer predicted the LSU would win “WHEN PIGS FLY”, well even though pigs weren’t seen flying over Alabama LSU pulled the stunner with a 17-13 victory. To the 1996 game where I was in attendance watched as Bama blanked LSU 26-0 in the debut of Shaun Alexander “The Great”. To a string of wins Bama had at Tiger Stadium from 1971 to 1999 which LSU was 0-14-1. The rivalry increased since Saban came back to coach college football with the Tide after he couldn’t cut it the pros in 2007. So without further ado let’s get this preview started.

Offense vs. Offense: If LSU offense was a gun it would be an AK- 47 this offense can hit you from so many different places. Jarrett Lee and Jordan Jefferson have been working together to make one of college football’s best dual quarterback tandems in the country while both can pass Jefferson can be used in short yardage and 4th and situatations (which there may be a lot of them) and LSU has not one, not two, not three, but four capable running backs (Spencer Ware, Alfred Blue, Michael Ford, and Kenny Hilliard) and with an improving wr’s in Odell Beckham, Reuben Randall and Russell Shepard, plus it’s also its best defense even though its offense doesn’t score a lot of points it can produce long scoring drives that can make a simple 14-0 game to a 28-0, which can wear out a defense and make an offense on the sideline get cold.. While Bama will counter with QB AJ McCarron’s, RB Trent Richardson, and Marquis Maze this is going to be a test of defensives, but sure McCarron’s has the home field advantage but he has not played in a game of this magnitude, and can he respond to a long LSU scoring drive or keep calm from a pressure playing LSU D- Edge: LSU

Defense vs. Defense: For Alabama they have Courtney Upshaw at linebacker has 4.5 sacks &11.5 tackles for a loss, which ranks 8th in the nation and one of the best cornerback duo’s in the nation with Robert Lester and Dre Kirkpatrick and LSU will counter with its 3rd ranked scoring and total defense they bring back cornerback Tyrann “Da Honey badger” Mathieu and Tharold Simon which will help out Morris Claiborne and defensive ends Sam Montgomery and Barkevious Mingo look to pressure McCarron and clamp down on Richardson. Also LSUs defense has been shutting down young or inexperienced Qbs out of the SEC. Edge: EVEN

Intangibles: The past 6 matchups have been decided by 42 pts or an average of 7 points a game. Well Bama has the home field advantage for Saturday night’s showdown, but surprising all of LSUs key games have been on the road (Dallas, Starkville, Morgantown, and Knoxville) with some being against ranked opponents. LSU has played a much tougher schedule (5 ranked or ranked teams at the time LSU played them) than Bama to date, goes deep, and has played mistake free football (on the field off the field not so much). With the added edge of the Saban bowl and with strong BCS championship implications this look like a game which my need a big play to open the game up or seal it, which if it does it falls into Mathieu making a key strip, pick, or key punt or kick return and a key Les Miles coaching strategy ( hmm I wonder how Bryant-Denney Stadium grass taste). Edge LSU

Winner and why: LSU has gotten better every game offensively and defensively, but the main thing LSU hasn’t made dumb mistakes, hasn’t “given up the big play”, stayed healthy, and remained focused. No team has come close to matching LSUs intensity, but Alabama may be the closest team to come close to it .LSU has to keep playing its game both sides has to be perfect, play hard and keep the pressure on and the Bama fans out of the game. If there is ever a game more important to the LSU football program it’s THIS ONE!!! LSU has to win to eliminate the past that Saban and Bama has haunted them with. To Bama fans this just another game on their way to a 14 national championship all year commentators have been saying LSU is good but,.., this or that, LSU in my eyes has to be the most DISRESPECTED 1 team in the nation, but come Saturday Night the nation will understand how good and talented this LSU squad is and Bama’s national title journey will end, so will Trent Richardson Heisman Trophy hopes.

LSU 38 Bama 27 ( ROLL TIDE ROLL -DOWN THE HOLE DOWN THE BOWL JUST LIKE YOUR TITLE HOPES MR. SABAN AND HEISMAN HOPES MR. RICHARDSON)

College Football Weekend Setup

Week 10 is already here and the national championship picture now has taken shape. Two teams know that if they win out they should be in the championship game (Auburn and Oregon), three non AQ teams looking for one of them to fall (Boise St.,Utah, and TCU), and then you have the one loss teams praying for the right set of circumstances to get in (Alabama, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Ohio St, LSU, Missouri, Stanford, Michigan St, Iowa, Oklahoma St.).

There are some tremendous games of importance this week starting with BCS No.3 ranked TCU as they take thee spotless record to Utah, the No.5 ranked BCS team. Alabama is the highest ranked one loss team (and that is huge with their upcoming showdown with Auburn) and will be taking on LSU in an SEC showdown. Arizona faces Stanford with the loser falling out of the Pac-10 race. It's just a big defining weekend in College Football. Let's break down the three biggest games of the weekend

TCU vs. Utah - This is the first time the Mountain West Conference has two teams facing off ranked in the top 10. Both of these teams hang their hat on their defense. TCU is vying to lead the nation in total defense for third straight season. TCU also leads the nation in scoring defense, pass defense, fewest first downs allowed per game and opponent third-down conversion percentage. The Utes are no slouches either, Utah is ranked in the top 10 in the nation in total defense, scoring defense, pass defense, opponent first downs, opponent third-down conversions and opponent fourth-down conversions. With two great defenses on the field, Quarterback play will be at a premium. Andy Dalton is the more experienced one in this game. He is the active leader in wins with 38 and hopes to add one more to his total with this game. Jordan Wynn of Utah is more athletic than Dalton and leads the MWC in passing averaging 238.5 yards a game. This is an epic clash of two similar teams. Since the they are so evenly matched, the team that limits its mistakes will win the game. I look for it to be a close game but TCU's experience will pull this one out in a close one. The Pick: TCU

Alabama vs. LSU - Bama has positioned themselves perfectly in the scheme of things. If they can win out the rest of the year (which is no easy task with LSU,Mississippi State, and and the Iron Bowl with Auburn, then the SEC championship with a likely rematch against South Carolina) than they would deservedly be in the National title game. No team has played a slate like Alabama, and thats why they should be where they are now. I still will take them on a neutral field against ANYBODY, including Oregon. LSU(with my favorite coach of all-time Les Miles) still has an outside shot for the SEC west crown. LSU needs to win out in the SEC against Alabama, Mississippi and No. 17 Arkansas then hope unbeaten Auburn - the only team to beat LSU - loses to Georgia or 'Bama. Sorry Tigers fans but thats not happening. I look for Bama to wear down the Tigers with their dual RB threats Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson. There is just no way the anemic offense of the Tigers will be able to score on the Crimson Tide. LSU will keep it close thanks to there good defense but just don't have a offense capable to beating Bama. The Pick: Bama

Arizona vs. Stanford - Andrew Luck is probably the best QB in the nation. He just annihilated Washington in the much hyped battle with Jack Locker (so much for him going number 1 in the draft, thanks Mel Kiper) and will lead his Cardinal versus the multi faceted offense of the Wildcats. Something has to give in this game as Stanford (7-1, 4-1) is fifth in the FBS in scoring at 42.4 points, while Arizona (7-1, 4-1) seventh in the nation in scoring defense at 14.4 points. Arizona's injured starter Nick Fowles will try to give it a go but even if he doesn't, Arizona looks to be fine at that position. The offense put up 583 yards with backup Matt Scott directing last week. I am interested in seeing what kind of defensive scheme Jim Harbaugh comes up with. If you haven't seen the Wildcats play, then your in for a treat. They are multi-talented with a two headed running back tandem featuring Nic Grigsby and have some of the best receivers in college football especially Juron Criner. I predict a high scoring game and think Stanford is in for a let down. The Pick: Arizona

Game of the Week - TCU vs. Utah. This is easily the biggest game of the year for non BCS conference teams.

Most Intriguing game - Boise St. vs. Hawaii. This is another huge game for Boise. They have a chance to show the pollsters just how good they are.

Rivalry Game - Tennessee vs. Memphis. In-state game with two not very good teams. Freshman Tyler Bray gets the start for the Vols.

Under the Radar game - South Carolina vs. Arkansas. This could very well turn out to be the best game of the day

Wake me when it over game - Akron vs. Ball St.

Coach better get it right game - Illinois vs. Michigan. Both coaches are on the hook if they don't produce more wins by the end of the year. I think the seat is hotter for Ron Zook than Rich Rodriguez but both are warm.

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