Alabama-LSU

I have teams I root for and teams I root against.  And I root against Alabama.

Therefore the yelp you heard last night at about midnight eastern time was watching LSU find a way to lose to Alabama when they had the game won.  Hearing the coach of Alabama discussing the victory last night was such that I shut the sound off.  The better interview would have been to ask the LSU coach how his team managed to blow the game.

Actually, neither team played like a top four team.  If you are not following college football this year, the following may be news to you.  The top four teams in Division I will play at the end of the year in the first ever playoff tournament to determine the national champion.

One reason why I am not a big fan of Alabama is that a few years ago, after Alabama had lost a big game, the wizards that then controlled what was called the Bowl Championship Series, decided that Alabama deserved to play for the championship.  They did not so deserve to play because they had just lost a big game. Nevertheless a committee thought they were entitled to play for the championship, did play for it, and one the game. Zip zip they became the national champion. Ridiculous. Not ridiculous that they were victorious in that game. Ridiculous that someone decided who could be one of the two teams who might play in a championship game and Alabama was plucked from the unworthy to participate.

At least this year there will be four teams who will compete.

If either LSU or Alabama is among the final four, do some sleuthing to see who did the lobotomy on the decision makers.  People talk about how Alabama is so great and how their one loss this season was a fluke. Alabama could not move the ball the entire game last night.  They looked as punchless as an old drunk. It is true that at the end they were able to mount a drive that resulted in a tying field goal which subsequently allowed them to prevail in overtime. But LSU made so many mistakes at the end, you can't give too much credit to Alabama.

There was a great picture of the LSU coach after a gaffe by the LSU kickoff team.  Mouth open incredulously.  My sense is that his mouth is still open and his head has not stopped shaking since last night.  There are many insomniacs that got more sleep than the LSU coach and faithful last night.

My two cents. Alabama found a way to win. Good for them and a grudging congratulations for finding that way.*  But they do not deserve to be one of the final four if several other teams wind up their season with a similar one loss record.

*(Can't help but remind anyone who cares, that Alabama found a most unusual way to lose last year when they played Auburn, so they are not always as resourceful as they were last night.  Up by less than seven points with seconds left they tried a long field goal when they could have just punted the ball away. An Auburn player caught the short kick at the goal line and ran it back for a touchdown outrunning the fat Alabama field goal blockers. I still enjoy recalling that moment).