Did Alabama Deserve the 2012 BCS Rematch? LSU, Oklahoma State and the Controversy That Helped Kill the BCS
Updated: 15 hours ago
College football had already spent years arguing about the Bowl Championship Series. Then 2011 happened.
LSU finished 13-0, won the SEC Championship and entered the postseason No. 1. The Tigers had also already beaten No. 2 Alabama 9-6 in overtime in Tuscaloosa.
Quick answer
Alabama had already lost to LSU and did not win the SEC West. Oklahoma State won the Big 12. Why did Alabama get the 2012 BCS title shot, and why did the debate help push college football toward a playoff?
The final question was uncomfortable: should Alabama get another chance at LSU, or should Big 12 champion Oklahoma State get its first?
Why LSU fans were furious
LSU had beaten Alabama, won Alabama's division, played and won the SEC Championship, and then was required to beat Alabama again to become national champion. Alabama only had to beat LSU once.
What the BCS was designed to do
The BCS did not require a team to win its conference or division. Its job was to place the teams ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the final standings into the championship game. Those standings blended human polls with computer rankings.
Oklahoma State had a serious case
Oklahoma State finished the regular season 11-1 and won the Big 12. Its one loss came in double overtime at Iowa State. The Cowboys then destroyed Oklahoma 44-10 to close the season and strengthen their championship argument.
The computers preferred Oklahoma State
In the final BCS standings, Oklahoma State ranked No. 2 in the computer average and Alabama ranked No. 3. Alabama's advantage in the human polls pushed the Crimson Tide to No. 2 overall. The final BCS gap between Alabama and Oklahoma State was only .0086.
The argument for Alabama
Alabama's only loss was a three-point overtime defeat to No. 1 LSU in a game where Alabama missed four field goals. If the goal was to identify the two best teams, Alabama had a strong case. The 21-0 championship result proved Alabama was unquestionably championship-caliber.
Best team versus most deserving
That is the heart of the debate. Alabama may have had the stronger best-team argument. Oklahoma State had the stronger conference-champion and opportunity argument. Without a playoff, one of them had to be excluded.
Where the BCS failed
The controversy is not proof that the BCS selected the wrong team. The deeper failure was that the system could not settle all legitimate claims on the field. LSU, Alabama and Oklahoma State all had arguments, and the BCS could only choose two.
A catalyst for the playoff
The 2011 rematch was not the only reason college football abandoned the BCS, but it became one of the most visible examples of the system's limitations. Later in 2012, college football leaders approved the structure that became the four-team College Football Playoff.
Alabama got its second chance. Oklahoma State never got its first. LSU got a rematch it did not ask for.
FAQ
How close was Oklahoma State? Alabama's final BCS average edged Oklahoma State by .0086.
Did Oklahoma State win its conference? Yes. Oklahoma State won the Big 12 after beating Oklahoma 44-10.
Did the computers rank Oklahoma State higher? Yes. Oklahoma State was No. 2 in the computer average and Alabama No. 3.
Sources: LSU Athletics final BCS announcement, Oklahoma State Athletics 2011 season materials, and ESPN retrospectives on the end of the BCS.
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