YEY! LSU WINS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP!!!

After falling behind 10-0 early in the first quarter, LSU scored 24 consecutive points to lead by two touchdowns at the half. Ohio State never quit, but the Buckeyes couldn't really threaten the lead against LSU's vaunted defense. The Tigers turned up the heat on Ohio State quarterback Todd Boeckman and forced him to hurry too many throws. The Tigers also did a good job of containing Beanie Wells after the tailback ran for 119 yards in the first half. Once Ohio State fell behind by three touchdowns early in the third quarter, the Buckeyes couldn't use Wells much to get them back into the game. LSU forced Ohio State into a couple of costly mistakes -- the Tigers blocked a field goal and intercepted a pass down the left sideline to set up touchdowns in the first half.
What didn't reserve safety Harry Coleman do for LSU's defense? In the first quarter, the sophomore from Baldwin, La., recovered a muffed punt return by LSU's Chad Jones at the Tigers' 16. In the second quarter, Coleman blitzed and hit Boeckman, forcing him to underthrow a pass down the left sideline. Cornerback Chevis Jackson intercepted the pass and returned it 34 yards to the Ohio State 24, setting up the touchdown that put LSU ahead 24-10 at the half. Coleman added another fumble recovery early in the fourth quarter, after linebacker Ali Highsmith drilled Boeckman on a fourth-down play. "To go to a national-championship game two years in a row and lose like this is incredible. It hurts tremendously," Ohio State running back Beanie Wells said.As much as they might have wanted to, the Buckeyes couldn't even escape the memory of the Gators here in New Orleans. By chance, Florida Coach Urban Meyer was one of the analysts on the Fox broadcast crew Monday night. At one point during the halftime show, Ohio State legend Eddie George, another one of the Fox commentators, turned to Meyer and said, "This feels like déjà vu all over again. Are we still in Arizona? This game has the same feel as last year."

Too easy. No. 2 LSU danced, dodged and darted its way into the end zone Monday night, turning the BCS national championship game into a horrible replay for No. 1 Ohio State. It was over early, with Matt Flynn throwing four touchdown passes in a 38-24 win.
Playing at their home-away-from-home in the Big Easy, the Tigers (12-2) became the first two-loss team to play for the title.
Shouts of "SEC! SEC!" bounced around the Superdome as the Tigers won their second BCS crown in five seasons. They are the first school to win a second title since BCS rankings began with the 1998 season.
"My team is the No. 1 team in the land," said All-American defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey, who passed up the NFL draft to return for his senior season.
And in a season of surprises, this was hardly an upset: Ohio State once again fell apart in college football's biggest game. A year after the Buckeyes were routed by Tim Tebow and Florida 41-14 in the Arizona desert, they barely did better.
"We just didn't do the things you need to do to win a ballgame of this nature. We're very aware that LSU's a deserving champion," Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said.
Jacob Hester bulled for a short touchdown, Early Doucet wiggled loose for a touchdown and Dorsey led a unit that outplayed the top-ranked defense in the nation.
Ohio State (11-2) had little to celebrate after Chris "Beanie" Wells broke loose for a 65-yard TD run on the fourth play of the game.
Yet while LSU coach Les Miles got to hoist the $30,000 crystal trophy, certainly many fans around the country were peering into their crystal balls, wondering if someone else was worthy of the title. Southern California, Georgia, West Virginia, Kansas and Missouri all put on impressive shows in bowl games, and will be among the favorites in 2008.
The final Associated Press poll was to be released early Tuesday.
LSU, whose two losses both came in triple overtime, became just the fourth favorite to win in 10 BCS championship games. The Tigers added to the crown they won in 2003 — their other title came in 1958.
Miles probably got a little extra satisfaction, too. Though he turned down a chance to return home to Michigan, he did something his alma mater hasn't done recently — beat the Buckeyes.
The loss left Ohio State at 0-9 overall in bowl games against teams from the Southeastern Conference. The SEC delights in whipping Big Ten teams in what's become a rivalry that steams up fans on both sides.
The Tigers rallied from an early 10-0 deficit, taking a 24-10 halftime lead that held up. Two big plays on special teams kept them ahead — they blocked a field goal, and later took advantage of a roughing-the-kicker penalty.

5 Reasons Why LSU Beat Ohio State

It was a close game, for about 1 quarter, but LSU made more plays than Ohio State. Check the top 5 reasons why LSU beat the Buckeyes.

1. TEAM SPEED SHMEED: "You can't tell me it's a speed thing; I'm stubborn about that," OSU linebacker James Laurinaitis said. "If it was a speed thing we would have been getting caught from behind. They out-physicaled us and that's why we lost the game." I agree totally, there was no difference in team speed. LB James Laurinaitis, DE Vernon Gholston and CB Malcolm Jenkins for the Buckeyes were just as fast as Jacob Hester, Early Doucet and Brandon LaFell. But at the skill positions, (Hartline?) LSU had a fiesty, violent edge. It's not just speed, it's violent speed. That running-at-you-at-full-tilt-to-hit-you-in-the-mouth speed, that's what LSU had. The Big Ten, certainly the elite programs like OSU and Michigan, have more than a little bit of the same speed that dominates the SEC (Did you see what Michigan did the Florida?). Ohio State has learned its lesson from last year and will try to spread LSU out, and not let them pursue plays from in front of them. OSU has been practicing the fame "Tiger Drill" to prepare for the tiring ordeal the game will become in the 4th quarter. Boeckman does have two athletic, speedy wideouts in Brian Robiskie and Brian Hartline who have great hands and know how to get open.


2. QUARTERBACK PLAY (OR LACK OF): Todd Boeckman is a big, lanky quarterback at 6-foot-5 and 235 pounds, but hew wasn't nearly mobile enough to withstand the athletic heat that LSU put on him. By the time LSU's Ali Highsmith clotheslined Boeckman and the ball squirted out the rout was on. Boeckman joins a distinguished list of quarterbacks, Sean Glennon, Tim Tebow, John Parker Wilson, that have been hit really hard by the Purple and Gold defensive line. Flynn, who didn't play in the SEC Championship Game because of a strained shoulder, completed 19 of 27 passes for 174 yards with four touchdowns and one interception.

3. BUCKEYES DEFENSE DIDN'T SHOW UP: The Buckeyes were No. 1 in the nation against the pass with 148.17 yards allowed, but Flynn carved them up for 4 touchdowns and 174 pretty much in 2 quarters (2nd & 3rd) with an assortment of awkward throws and laser-sharp daggers. The OSU defense seemingly was content to let him throw, playing the run more heavily than it should. As good as the Buckeyes front four is, the LSU secondary, even without All-American safety Craig Steltz (stinger) made its presence felt to turn the game around, especially when Harry Coleman blitzed and hit Boeckman, forcing him to underthrow a pass down the left sideline. Cornerback Chevis Jackson intercepted the pass and returned it 34 yards to the Ohio State 24, and the Tigers were in business.

4. HOMEFIELD ADVANTAGE: To say the scales were tipped in LSU's favor is an understatement. The LSU campus is only 80 miles away in Baton Rouge. "We know the dome," LSU running back Jacob Hester said. "We're in the same hotel. We know the city. Half the team is from New Orleans, and the other half has been here so many times they know where everything is." The crowd was loud a(but curiously quiet after Beanie Wells' touchdown run). OSU just couldn't keep the hush in effect as their lead turned into a deficit as the Tigers reeled off 31 straight points.

5. BUCKEYES OFFENSE DIDN'T HAVE CONSISTENCY: A comedy of weird errors by the Buckeyes, including five personal fouls and three turnovers, enabled LSU to erase a 10-0 deficit and roll to a 31-17 lead before a garbage TD made the score look respectable. The Buckeyes were'nt able to establish consistency: OSU's Chris "Beanie Wells turned in the half of a lifetime after he steam 64 yards up LSU's gut on the game's second play from scrimmage. The problem was, sooner or later, OSU had to pass the ball. LSU, an absurdly deep team, had the consistency it usually had all season: start off slow, take a blow then release a barrage of players and formations at the oppenent to shatter their will. They have six running backs, two quarterbacks and defensive playmakers waiting in the wings. LSU had been especially adept at

murdering quarterbacks and it happened Monday night all over again.

OUCH: Florida second SEC Team to Fall in Bowl Games

Okay, battle lines have been drawn the sand: The SEC has got to win the rest of their bowl games, showing the nation that the Southeastern Conference is where college football lives.
Florida just got whacked by Michigan a few minutes ago (I feel sick to my stomach.). The Gator defense made Chad Henne look like Tom Brady. In New England.
I kinda thought Florida would hold up its end of the bargain when the Gators (9-4) scored on Percy Harvin's 10-yard run to take a 35-31 lead with 5:49 remaining. If you woulda told me Florida would give up over 530 yards to the Wolverines I woulda showed you a delusional sucker, but, boy, was I wrong. I like Michigan, but, to run up and down the field like that on UF? NO WAY.
Alas, yes way.

The SEC, supposedly the rock-hard poster child of "real" college football, gets owned in not one, but TWO games today. Missouri pounced all over Arkansas, the same Arkansas team that ran my LSU Tigers ragged. Tony Temple (WHO?) rushed for Cotton Bowl records of 281 yards and four touchdowns. Darren McFaddy got a buck-0-5 on 21 carries, and a new Escalade, but who cares? He's a pro by next fall anyhoo.

In Tampa, Tennessee's Eric Ainge completed passes to nine different receivers as the No. 18 Volunteers finished their season at 10-4 by putting an SEC whipping, 21-17, on No. 16 Wisconsin of the Big Ten. P.J. Hill led the Badgers (9-4) with 132 yards rushing on 16 carries.
I've still got hope Georgia can expand the legend by wrapping a hula hoop on Colt Brennan and the Hawaii Warriors.

Ohio State Fan Disses Florida, as LSU Awaits (Video)

Hawaii Practices At Sugar Bowl 12/29/07 (video)

Georgia Bulldogs Practice At SugarBowl 12/29/07 (video)

Hawaii, Georgia Players Take Sip Of New Orleans

"This is a great group of kids and I am not worried we are going to do anything we would be ashamed of," Hawaii coach June Jones said Thursday.
And with that his Hawaii Warriors, set to take on the up-the-street Georgia Bulldogs on Jan. 1, descended on the Crescent City. "It's OK with me to let them experience something they may never get to experience again," Jones said.

Curfew had been established, but so had rites of passage during the season. The players know that nothing stupid must take place - even on Bourbon Street.
"I've been trying to prepare these players for the media and the hype surrounding a game of this magnitude," Jones said after arriving at Louis S. Armstrong International Airport. "It's going to be a Super Bowl-like atmosphere. I don't think they have any idea what they're getting into."
Jones' team got a bit of a taste when they were greeted by a brass band, per Sugar Bowl tradition, as they disembarked from the plane.
Wide receiver Ryan Grice-Mullen said he's been to New Orleans once - when he was in first grade.
"I've heard about Bourbon Street, so maybe we'll check it out," Grice-Mullen said. "I don't think my parents took me there. We went to see some of the Mardi Gras, but it was during the day. I guess that's the kiddie Mardi Gras."
"To be able to go to the Sugar Bowl every other year would be pretty exciting," Bulldogs coach Mark Richt said. "We've been able to do that the last six years. It's so good to be back here and see the city up and running again.
"We probably have more coaches' kids here than we have players. The families will have plenty of opportunities to enjoy themselves."

BCS Didn't Stick To Southerner's Creed

The Bowl Championship Series is wrong to let LSU leap over Georgia, especially if you're a Southerner.
Why is it wrong?
Because the decision-making process of the BCS lacks one of the basic ingredients of any system based on Southern sensitivity: common courtesy.
Georgia was in line ahead of LSU. They were IN LINE ahead of LSU! UGA should get the title game.
I love him, but Les Miles is not a Southerner (Elyria, Ohio), so it's natural for him to want to jump UGA, but true Southerners don't like this system.
The computer polls no doubt did their computing. The former coaches and media did their calcuations, but the coaches poll? They acted. like. robots.
Inhuman, basically.
You don't skip people.
That's just Common Courtesy 101. In this country, we're very rewarding to the hard-working, waiting-their-turn guy who played his hand the best he could. He doesn't look for favors, doesn't look for handouts. He just waits his turn. The Georgia Bulldogs waited their turn, and they rose ever so slowly in the rankings.
Now,LSU's leaping of Virginia Tech? I can understand that. They had the benefit of a head-to-head contest. But, the Georgia leap is just wrong. And I'm an LSU fan. I'm happy we made it, but it just seems that college football should have rewarded Georgia with something a little better than a game against Hawaii.
"It should come down to who the voters believe are the two best teams in the nation right now," UGA coach Mark Richt said.
"Let's face it, going into today we were ranked No. 4 in the BCS. They ranked us there for a reason. They believed we belonged there. Two teams lost ahead of us. Everybody knew going in we were not going to play for a conference championship and still they voted us there. They voted us there for a reason and I don't know why that should change right now."
Georgia coach Mark Richt was right. Nowhere in the BCS rules does it say a team must win its conference championship as some prerequisite to play in the national title game. But that rule might as well be there.
As for old Lester, not only did he say before the game that he'd re-up with the Tigers, but the next day he paid tribute to those that gave me another try at erasing the Nick Saban-tasting flavor on the SEC trophy in his arms.
"I'd like to thank the voters," Miles said on Fox's BCS selection show.
The resulting BCS chaos all but assures Georgia fans have circled in big red ink the pending matchup between their Dawgs and the Tigers next year in Baton Rouge.
If LSU was in need of a rival, Georgia has stood up, this time, with a fierce team.
But alas, that's next year. This year, even Big Ten winner Ohio State was on LSU's side to make it to the big game.
"To win the SEC, to win the Big Ten, ACC or Big 12 or Pac-10, that's a major feat in itself," Buckeyes coach Jim Tressel said. "To me, that ought to be considered as you think about who plays for the title.
Ohio State (top) and LSU are ranked 1-2 in the latest AP poll.
Miles said: "To me, being from a major conference in this country, those are the teams that should be most considered for the national title game."
I know, I know, Les, but those are Northerner's rules, Southerners don't think like that.