All of the glorious, wondrous chaos that has transpired over the past 24 hours has caused us to change the tack we normally take in our weekly poll.
As one of the two remaining unbeatens, LSU, as they have been for quite a number of weeks, is the clear-cut and unquestioned No. 1 team in the country. Thus, a normal “Who is the No. 1 team in the country?” poll officially ceases to make sense. So, instead, the direction we’re headed with the Week 12 poll is this: if LSU beats No. 6 Arkansas next week and hands the Hogs their second loss and then goes on to beat No. 13 Georgia in the SEC championship game, who would you want to see the Bayou Bengals play for the BcS title?
Let the questions begin, armed with the assumption that all of the following teams win their remaining games...
Would you want to see a rematch with No. 3 Alabama, which wouldn’t even win its own division let alone its conference? How about No. 8 Stanford, which would probably be in the same non-winning division and conference boat as the Tide? Like the Cardinal, No. 10 Boise State lost to a two-loss team at home; would you want to see the team that everybody either loves to love or loves to hate get a crack at the crystal? Despite the soul-crushing loss Friday night, No. 2 Oklahoma State still has just one loss and would certainly be a huge part of the discussion in this scenario as well.
Or, what about No. 9 Virginia Tech? As it stands at this moment, the Hokies are the only other team from a BcS conference with one loss; would Tech deserve a spot opposite LSU in New Orleans?
And then there’s No. 11 Houston. The Cougars are the only other unbeaten Div. 1-A team left in this up-is-down, right-is-left 2011 season. In their past six games, UH has won by an average of 42.6 points. On the flip side, their opponents in those games are just a combined 23-41, including a 3-11 mark against teams from BcS conferences. Is that a résumé deserving of a spot in the title game?
(Don’t even get me started on the following scenario that is entirely possible and, worse yet, very plausible: LSU and Houston are undefeated; Boise State has one loss; and every other team in the country has at least two losses.)
OK, there’s your premise. Now, go vote before your head implodes over all of the possibilities.
[polldaddy poll=5686154]