ShareThisCome Sunday night -- with a bit of luck -- Alabama could be sitting in the same coveted spot it occupied in the BCS standings before losing to No. 1 LSU, 9-6, in overtime last Saturday.
There are plenty of college-football fans -- besides the other contenders -- who don't want to see that happen. They don't like the idea of a BCS title-game rematch, regardless of whether LSU and Alabama are figured to be the two best teams at season's end.
Maybe it has to do with the lack of scoring in that Tuscaloosa showdown, which was one of the greatest defensive battles in recent memory.
For that very reason, the Battle in 'Bama was a great football game.
If LSU and Alabama win out, a rematch for the national championship would be fitting. Their defenses are clearly the nation's two best.
Forget the regular-season playoff notion for a moment, and consider that the BCS system is about determining which two teams are best qualified to play for the national title.
Maybe, if a little bit of crazy comes into play again this weekend -- something along the lines of Northwestern's upset of Nebraska in Lincoln -- we won't see another SEC blowout victory in the national-championship game.
Suppose Texas Tech happens to rediscover the magical formula that led to its huge upset of Oklahoma three weeks ago.
You could forget Tech's consecutive blowout losses to Iowa State and Texas the past two weekends, and begin to believe No. 2 Oklahoma State just might be vulnerable in Lubbock on Saturday.
If Tech shocks Oklahoma State and Alabama gets a road victory over Mississippi State, the Tide will likely be No. 2 in the standings again.
Alabama dropped just one spot to No. 3 this week, mainly because of the computers.
No. 4 Stanford was poised to jump the Tide, but an average computer ranking of 8 held the Cardinal back, despite being ranked third in the Harris Poll and second in the USA Today Poll. Alabama is fourth in both.
Ironically, Stanford's computer ranking may be foretelling. If Stanford loses to No. 8 Oregon Saturday night at home, the Cardinal could be sitting at No. 8 in the next BCS standings.
The Unbalanced Line's call: Oregon 41, Stanford 34.
Alabama's average computer ranking of 3 is justified, but that doesn't change the fact that the BCS computer rankings are often downright confounding, and their disparity with the polls generally defies logic.
No. 14 Kansas State is ranked 18th and 22nd in the Harris and USA Today polls, respectively. Yet the Wildcats' average computer ranking is 10, despite losses to Oklahoma, 58-17, and Oklahoma State, 52-45, the past two weekends.
No. 16 Texas is ranked 20th in both BCS polls, but has a computer ranking of 11. No. 17 Michigan State's computer average is 25, but the Spartans are ranked 13th in both polls. No. 18 Wisconsin -- easily the nation's best 7-2 team -- has a computer ranking of 28, but a poll ranking of 14.
Wisconsin's losses to Michigan State and Ohio State were by a total of 10 points, on the road in the waning seconds.
Computers, unfortunately, don't watch the games. If they did, they wouldn't have ranked Auburn No. 15; the Tigers are no better than their respective rankings of 24 or 25 in the Harris and USA Today polls.
LSU and Oklahoma State both have average computer rankings of 1.
The Cowboys barely escaped Texas A&M and Kansas State. The Tigers would destroy them, so would the Tide.
The ranking that matters most in a championship matchup is scoring defense. OK-State's defense is yielding almost 29 points a game, which ranks 77th. Alabama is No. 1, giving up just 7.1 points a game; LSU is No. 2, yielding 10.9 a game.
Scoring defense has a great deal of bearing on how Penn State has managed to go unbeaten in Big Ten play. The Lions' stagnant offense is scoring just 21.8 points a game, which ranks 100th; their defense is third, yielding 12.4 a game.
Defense may not be enough Saturday with No. 19 Nebraska coming to Happy Valley, after the Huskers' embarrassing 28-25 loss to Northwestern.
Penn State is reeling from the firing Wednesday of legendary coach Joe Paterno in the wake of stunning allegations that his former defensive coordinator, Jerry Sandusky, sexually abused eight boys over 15 years.
Charges that athletic director Tim Curley and vice president Gary Schultz were involved in a cover-up had already hit home. Curley and Schultz, who stepped down Sunday night, also face perjury charges in the case. University President Graham Spanier was also a part of the collateral damage.
It's a shame for the university... And for Paterno, who has run a program said to be the gold standard for college football.
It's going to be hard for players, fans and coaches to focus on a Big Ten title with this tragic scandal unfolding.
(Contact John Tucker at jtucker(at)unionleader.com)
(E-mail John Tucker at jtucker(at)unionleader.com)
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