OU earned a hell of a lot more respect from me in this game than about any other. The were physically dominated by a more talented bunch but never gave up and their defense darn near hung around long enough for the Tigers offense and special teams to blow themselves up. Sure, a lot of their individual awards were a joke (Harris over Lavalais for the Lombardi--those sportswriters obviously did not watch college football this year and voted on hype)(White for the Heisman?) but a lot of guys impressed. Mark Clayton, Derrick Strait, those dudes showed me they are great players with great heart, I wouldn't mind seeing them as 2nd or 3rd round picks by the Dallas Cowboys. The other day I thought Strait was a little overrated as he couldn't seem to keep up with Sproals, but I know Justin Vincent can fly (out ran the entire Georgia defense) and Strait was able to keep close to even with him and make a tackle (if Vincent runs in a strait line I think he scores on the 1st play, but I think he was moving away from Perkins and gave Strait just a little angle). Finally, yes it was joke Jason White won the Heisman--in truth at least 5 NCAA QBs were probably better players, but he is a good player with a lot of courage--I give him that. I look forward to watching this game again to watch the game within the game (center-DT match-ups, Clayton and that shut down LSU corner). BTW Stoops handle himself much better post-game. His defense comment at half time was stupid. LSU had the #1 scoring defense in the country AND had destroyed his #1 offense, whether he team lead the nation in defense yards allowed was irrelevant. The question was not a statistical one, the questions what what he was going to do against what was obvious to everyone including a a guy as smart as Stoops the best defense int he national. All he can rattle off we made too many penalties and correct Swan about the statistical criteria for total defense. Just say they kick our offenses ass and we are just going to have to hang in there with our defense and try to make a couple big plays in offense or special teams or somewhere.
Yes it was. The Rose Bowl was playfull walk in the park compared to the fierceness of the game last night. I'd love to to see LSU's defense destroy USC's offense as well. With LSU's record and performance against elite teams (1 win over a top 3 team, 3 wins over top 7 teams, and 4 wins versus top 15 teams VS USC's 1 win over a top 7 team and 2 wins over a top 25 teams) there is no question they are a national champ. I don't really have a big problem with USC being a co-national champ, but USC is the one who back-doored in without ever having to play elite competition. One thing weird is LSU got fewer votes in the AP poll after dominating OU than USC got after beating Michigan. Yes USC point advantage was 2 TDs instead of 1, but other statistics point to LSU having a more dominant game versus what everyone agree's was the superior opponent. I think many of the AP voters, knowing LSU would win the Coaches poll, wanted to make protest vote even if they thought LSU was deserving of thier #1 vote and USC of #2. Also, if you add the # votes from last Coaches Poll LSU and OU together had 26 to USC's 37. There is no sure thing if the coaches were not binded to the BCS LSU would not have gained the 6 votes they would have needed --ssuming all those who voted for OU would have sent their votes to LSU. This could be especially true if they felt the AP was going to put in USC as what happen to Nebraska-Michigan the last split championship.
Scar, Agree with most of what you said. I still can't figure out how Strait won the Thorpe Award over Sean Taylor.
it's tough to figure who got more undeserved hype throughout the season, ou or michigan. If there was ever a team to be hyped during a season, OU was it. It wasn't just that they were the only undefeated team. Their defense was #1 in total yards. Their offense was #1 in scoring. They got better as the season progressed. They beat their B12 south opponents by something like 40-50 pts per game, slaughtering 3 good teams that lots of people thought had a decent chance to beat them in UT, TT, and OSU. They beat a Division 1 team 77-0 - in 3 quarters. They were 11-0 in what people thought was either the best or second best conference in the country. In hindsight, yeah, they didn't end up as good as that. However, at the time, they deserved every bit of hype they got. For those first 11 games, they were as good as any team I've ever seen - offense, defense, special teams, and coaching. No other team in the country was doing anything even close to what they were. Interestingly, for everyone who b****es about how conference title games screw teams out of a chance at a national title, LSU only got in because of the SEC title game, and USC would have been in had they won a PAC-10 title game. Works both ways.
Yeah, I have to agree with Major on this one. After the K-State loss, you didn't hear anyone overhyping OU. Up until that point, they had done nothing to show that they didn't deserve every single bit of the hype. Hindsight is 20/20.
I think Jason White's wrist injury was worse than he (or anyone else) was letting on. His passes had no 'pop' on them. LSU's defense, especially the D line, was getting tired in the 4th quarter. Too bad OU couldn't capitalize. Overtime would have been fun to watch. It was a crazy game. It seems like OU was blown out, but they were one dropped pass in the end zone away from forcing OT.
Cause your brain is small Nothing like national title was talked about wrt UM, hey and they beat OSU who handled KSU handily. on the other side, the Greatest team ever played college football. Is it still tough for you??????
I have to disagree. They were being billed as the best team ever. Yet they had not faced a quality defense, let alone a loaded, well rounded team. They also hadn't established a major running game, even against pretty week competition, this is a must for a team to rival the best ever. To say they even deserved mention as the best team in the last 10 years ignored that they had not proved against great competition. To mention them with the same breadth as some of the mid 90s Nebraska, Miami and Florida State teams was flat ludicres. Stats aren't everything, and on this I have to say I told you so-- the weakness and doubts I had about OU being a complete football team (their offense was 1 dimensional and predicated on White having a ton of time he would not get against good defenses) prior to the KSU game showed up in spades. Without a doubt they were overrated, and to the carefull observer (not just realing on stats) there were kinks in the armor compared to the great NU, Miami and FSU teams of say the 90s. --OU's overall football team --Jason White --Tommie Harris Totally and completely overrated and a crime those guys got those awards. --Strait and Lehman, they had a reasonable but not slam dunk case for their awards. --Mark Clayton--about the only OU guy not overrated and maybe underrated, a better college football player than Roy Williams IMO.
Two factors kept them in the game. #1, they do have a fine defense. 300 something total yards versus LSU when their offense had done nothing is not bad. #2 LSU mistakes--if not for two terrible special teams plays (the punt block and 2 penalities on one short field goal) and Mauck's 2 unforced TOs LSU wins in double digits and it is over by the end of the 3rd quater. I really mean what I said, OU impressed me as much this game in hanging in with a much more complete and physical opponent than all their drubbings of weak opponents. Oh 1 more thing about OU being overrated. I think after the OSU game all the media was saying "just hand them the NC now". It was flat ludicres. For sure, USC, LSU, OSU (Ohio), Miami and maybe Michigan or Georgia or Florida State as well (and obviously in hindsight KSU)--there were a lot of teams with the speedy and physical defenses that would present challenges OU simply had not faced and it was assuming much to think OU's offense could handle them. Just because you put 77 on the Aggies does not mean they could put 21 on USC, LSU, OSU or Miami.
First I have to recognize Desert Scar for calling this one. I didn't get to see LSU play much this season so I assumed OU would beat them. I always thought the two best conferences were the Big XII and SEC, but it's pretty clear that right now the SEC is alone at the top. OU was overhyped when people were calling them one of the best teams ever. Michigan was overhyped when they got whipped by a Pac 10 team, struggled with Minnesota, etc. As was shown and many knew, White should not have gotten the Heisman, Strait the Thorpe, Lehman the Lombardi, etc. It's pretty ridiculous when good players get individual awards just because they're on the supposed best team. LSU looked very impressive. I always like to watch the secondary when the damn TV producers allow it, and theirs was really good. If Early Doucet commits, watch out for him. He's a badass.
Thanks tozai, you were spot on about Michigan and others I was not. Fun as hell ending of the season. Too bad USC gets a share of a NC without ever playing an LSU or OU caliber defense. I would have loved to see Mike Williams versus a Webster, Strait or perhaps Chris Gamble, and see how Leinart would do with a serious pass rush.
Michigan was picked by a number of people to be in the championship game, No? What did they finish in the polls? Something like 7th, 8th? Nice. Funny how people blame this on Jason. Kinda hard to do anything good when your O-Line decides not to block for you and you're going up against one of the best college defenses in a while... Disappointing season. If not for the fact that we beat our 2 rivals by a combined 95 points, this would've been flat out embarassing. Ah well....I guess I'll just use a phrase I hear from Texas fans quite a bit.... There's always next year!!
It wasn't his fault, I thought he played with a lot of guts. OU needs a running game and maybe then they will deserve mention as one of the best ever. Though at least Strait, Lehman, and probably Harris and Perkins are leaving for the pro's right? It is their defense that hopefully take the big hit, that is why they have been so good.
Strait and Lehman graduated. Harris I think will go pro but he hasn't announced yet. Perkins will be back. Don't forget they also get Lance Mitchell back...who is possibly the best LB in the conference next year if Johnson comes out... Cody and Jackson are back at DE, Dvoracek and McGruder will start at DT. Brodney Pool and Donte Nicholson will be the safeties...Perkins and either super-JUCO Chijoke Onyenegecha or Eric Bassey will be the corners. The rest is up for grabs.. And don't forget they might actually have a running game next year, with Adrian Peterson...
i wanted to clarify my hype statement on ou but it was late and didn't. i thought as a team they deserved the hype b/c they were crushing people left and right and i thought would win the title handily, but i also knew they didn't have damn near the best player at every position in america. no one has that. best lineman, linebacker, db, qb, and coach? come on. so for me the wrong hype on ou was individual. harris white and lehman were my big problems (though not so much with lehman). strait always seems to play well when i watch so he seemed deserving, though sean taylor is a badass. for um, it was team. like mduke said, i heard plenty of talk of them winning it all at the beginning and still heard it after their first loss. and ralph wiley even said if um beat usc in the rose they were the champion no matter what happened in the sugar (to which i said WTF!!). michigan got a lot of hype for an eventual 3 loss team.
That's before IOWA loss, if any; or you talking about championship game for USC in which they also played? 7th or 8th is their season poll average. You got the idea.
You know what is really screwed up is if Oregon didn't luck out against Michigan it probably would have been Michigan and OU playing for the national championship with neither LSU or USC in it. Just goes to show how badly at least a 4 team, if not 8 team playoff/BCS system is needed. If nothing else add a game about Jan 10th from the winners of two designated top BCS games on Jan 1 (basically a 4 team playoff). Ideally I like the 8 team system with the top 4 seeds having opening home games (around Dec 14-20), followed by semi-finals using alternative pairs of existing BCS bowls (Jan 1), plus a final game to be played in one of the other non semi-BCS sites for that year held about Jan 10th (with room for undefeated mid-majors but non BCS top 8 teams in "play-ins" at the lowest ranked top 8 BCS team around December 6-13). But just adding 1 more game would make sure the best team wins 99% of the time.
