Look at this year's Football Bowl Subdivision "championship" game. It’s LSU and Alabama, again. This isn't a diatribe to explain how Oklahoma State and Stanford got shut out. Alabama has just as much reason, if not more, to be there. The situation that raised its head this year is new and devalues the term "championship game" more than ever. It's the idea of a rematch without a playoff. It raises a couple of issues.
First of all, LSU beat Alabama in Tuscaloosa on November 5th. If you're not going to have a playoff, that should be that. Let the Tigers beat up on somebody else. Let these young men take on all comers and prove they're one of the greatest teams of all time. We’ll never get to see that now.
Second, the rematch doesn’t prove anything. LSU's the national champion. I don't care what happens in the "championship" game. If Alabama wins the game, 3 of the top the 4 teams in college football will have one loss: OK State/Stanford winner, Alabama, and LSU. If those are the three one loss teams left standing, there's no question LSU would have had the best season out of those three.
We've suffered through enough bowl games already this year. Now days we have to wait till 4:30 on New Year's Day for the big time bowls to start. Then work around our busy schedules to fit the other big games in on weeknights.
We should be down to the final two via a playoff and marveling over the 2 or 3 plays, yea plays, which got us here. Instead we've been clubbed over the head by (insert sponsor here) bowl, one after another. This year on the day after New Year's Day we get, wait for it, a matchup of 6-6 teams? Are you kidding me? Make it stop.
Finally, on January 9th LSU and Alabama will play, again. Mark my word. No matter what happens, the Associated Press will name LSU the national champion. If Alabama's holding the other trophy, maybe, just maybe, we'll finally get what we deserve, a Bowl Subdivision playoff.
