After LSU's 21-0 loss to Alabama in the BCS title game Monday night, Tigers coach Les Miles stopped short of asking AP voters for a split national title. Even he knew it was a lost cause after his team's uninspired performance against the Crimson Tide.
Alabama, with the first shutout in a title game (BCS, de facto or otherwise) in 20 years, left no room for doubt Monday night in the Superdome — despite a 9-6 regular-season loss to LSU — that it was the better team. And that's why I voted the Crimson Tide No. 1 in my final AP ballot of the 2011 season.
A close loss by LSU and I would have followed Miles' post-game logic — LSU had a better season than Alabama with wins over the Crimson Tide during the regular season, Oregon, West Virginia and Georgia.
“This football team has as quality a run as there is in this country,” Miles said. “Played eight nationally ranked teams. Played in six stadiums before the SEC championship game, which we won as well. I think this team accomplished a lot. I think that’s for the voters to figure.”
In this particular unique case — the second rematch in college football's confusing but distinguished history of the mythical national championship (the AP has crowned a champion every year since 1936) — every avenue was worth exploring. To argue otherwise, is both myopic and conforming with a fraudulent system for the sake of conformity.
There is nothing "embarrassing" or nonsensical — as I've been accused of by ESPN and Yahoo! Sports — about evaluating the entire season. You shouldn't simply vote because the "BCS says so."
With its dominant performance — and holding LSU to 92 yards of offense absolutely meets the definition — Alabama closed the door on any alternative arguments for the AP's champion.
As for the rest of the top 25, the disappointing finish for the ACC (a 2-6 bowl record) is reflected in where its top two teams stand — No. 22 Clemson and No. 23 Virginia Tech. (And I'm not sure how the other AP voters put the Hokies ahead of Clemson when Clemson beat them twice).
Florida State made the final AP poll, at No. 23, but the Noles did not make my ballot.
Until next season.
1. Alabama (12-1)
Top 25 wins: LSU, Arkansas, Auburn
Loss: LSU
2. LSU (13-1)
Top 25 wins: Oregon, West Virginia, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Auburn
Loss: Alabama
3. Oklahoma State (12-1)
Top 25 wins: Stanford, Oklahoma, Baylor, Kansas State
Loss: Iowa State
4. Boise State (12-1)
Top 25 wins: Georgia
Loss: TCU
5. USC (10-2)
Top 25 wins: Oregon
Losses: Stanford, Arizona State
6. Oregon (12-2)
Top 25 wins: Stanford, Wisconsin
Losses: LSU, USC
7. Arkansas (11-2)
Top 25 wins: Auburn, South Carolina, Kansas State
Losses: LSU, Alabama
8. South Carolina (11-2)
Top 25 wins: Georgia, Clemson, Nebraska
Losses: Auburn, Arkansas
9. Michigan State (11-3)
Top 25 wins: Georgia, Michigan, Wisconsin
Losses: Notre Dame, Nebraska, Wisconsin
10. Stanford (11-2)
Top 25 wins: USC
Losses: Oregon, Oklahoma State
11. Michigan (11-2)
Top 25 wins: Nebraska, Virginia Tech
Losses: Michigan State, Iowa
12. Wisconsin (11-3)
Top 25 wins: Nebraska, Michigan State
Losses: Michigan State, Ohio State, Oregon
13. Baylor (10-3)
Top 25 wins: TCU, Oklahoma
Losses: Kansas State, Texas A&M, Oklahoma State
14. TCU (11-2)
Top 25 wins: Boise State
Losses: Baylor, SMU
15. West Virginia (10-3)
Top 25 wins: Clemson, Cincinnati
Losses: LSU, Syracuse, Louisville
16. Oklahoma (10-3)
Top 25 wins: Kansas State
Losses: Texas Tech, Baylor, Oklahoma State
17. Southern Miss (12-2)
Top 25 wins: Houston
Losses: Marshall, UAB
18. Houston (13-1)
Top 25 wins: none
Loss: Southern Miss
19. Kansas State (10-3)
Top 25 wins: Baylor
Losses: Arkansas, Oklahoma State, Oklahoma
20. Georgia (10-4)
Top 25 wins: Auburn
Losses: Boise State, South Carolina, LSU, Michigan State
21. Cincinnati (10-3)
Top 25 wins: none
Losses: West Virginia, Rutgers, Tennessee
22. Clemson (10-4)
Top 25 wins: Auburn, Virginia Tech (2)
Losses: West Virginia, Georgia Tech, N.C. State, South Carolina
23. Virginia Tech (11-3)
Top 25 wins: none
Losses: Michigan, Clemson (2)
24. Auburn (8-5)
Top 25 wins: South Carolina
Losses: Clemson, Arkansas, LSU, Georgia, Alabama
25. Nebraska (9-4)
Top 25 wins: Michigan State
Losses: Wisconsin, Northwestern, Michigan, South Carolina
Comments
congrats j.p. giglio..................
Tue, 01/10/2012 - 19:58 — tideofunckudos for finally getting it right and accepting that order has been restored in the world of college football w/BAMA'S TOTAL DOMINATION of lsu last night. ROLL TIDE!!!
I can't imagine
Tue, 01/10/2012 - 20:50 — gvillegatrWhat people think of you ... A bam in football and a Heel in baskets. :)
JP Top 25
Tue, 01/10/2012 - 12:57 — dbretz68The problem with all of this, and the issue that makes college football essentially figure skating, is that you have individuals whose opinions actually affect the outcome of the season who have nothing to do with the games. Namely, the sports media. And because, unlike in most other sports, their opinions count in determining the champion, they go on and on, not so much about the games, but about their own personal opinions of the games and what the games' results "should" mean. Giglio's process is not necessarily better or worse than the processes of other voters. It's simply his process. My opinion would be that his rationale of valuing a regular season "body of work" above a game that has been specifically identified as a championship game, and at the very least should carry some level of significance above a regular season matchup whether or not you think the "championship" label is legit, is flawed. I'd also argue that the only team that ever had a real claim to a split title would be Oklahoma St, and that's only because they never had the chance to play 'Bama or LSU, not so much because I think they could beat either team. But those are just my opinions and there are a dozen other ways to look at it. That and a dollar will get you a cup of coffee of any size at McDonald's. The ironic thing to me is that the system needs to be changed not so much because the system ends up getting it wrong, which seems to be the popular opinion and causes no shortage of hand wringing and shouting during the season. No, it needs to be changed just so said shouting and hand wringing will stop. Again, Giglio is asked to give a vote and he gives it, like all the other voters. But why should Alabama, LSU, Oklahoma St or any other team in the nation care one wit what a guy in Raleigh, NC thinks about them? Or what my opinion is. And with all due respect to him, that's all Giglio's vote is, one guy on a bar stool's opinion. How should that matter one bit to who wins or loses championships? And in what other sport, save the likes of figure skating, gymnastics or snow boarding, do we do things this way?
BAMA'S national championship
Tue, 01/10/2012 - 19:54 — tideofuncdbretz68: exellent post. this is most cogent post i've seen relative to this year's bcsncg.
I don't disagree
Tue, 01/10/2012 - 15:58 — joegiglio (author)with you. This is a valid point.
All I try to do is respect the process and I think there is more of that in the AP vote, compared to the Harris Poll.
— JPG
Not Personal, By The Way
Tue, 01/10/2012 - 17:22 — dbretz68Sure, you're asked to vote, you try to be thoughtful about it, you vote. You can't do any more than that. After I posted this, I realized it may have sounded like I was taking a shot at you. Not meant to. Just trying to illustrate that there are probably several dozen processes in people's "votes". It's not your individual process that is invalid. It's the whole system. It's actually pretty irrelevant to my argument how the AP vote "compares" to the Harris Poll. Human polls shouldn't determine champions in football, period.
Human polls shouldn't determine champions in football, period
Tue, 01/10/2012 - 20:48 — gvillegatrCouldn't disagree more, but the Harris Poll doesn't help my cause one bit. Just do away with the fricking Harris Poll IMO. What a joke.
Computer polls ... Did you know NO ONE outside of who runs the poll knows how it works exactly. A tweak here and a tweak there, unbeknownst to no one, and the individual can make one team move in front of another.
I might flip ....
Tue, 01/10/2012 - 12:34 — AgentPierceJoe: I might flip Michigan State and Wisconsin..... but it's a pick'em.
Biggest recent "thud" in a title game - LSU last night or Butler vs UConn ??? I vote LSU..... because I like little Butler.
that was a bad game
Tue, 01/10/2012 - 15:56 — joegiglio (author)Last night, but given the first meeting, I wasn't expecting anything less.
Still, that Butler-Uconn game was a hot mess. Good comparison, either way, AP.
— JPG