It's almost that time of year, college football fans, and the hype surrounding this year's BCS National Championship game is skyrocketing thanks to the most riveting regular season in recent memory.
From the beginning through the first third of the season, the USC Trojans held a near consensus lock on the No. 1 spot in the polls, a fact that is becoming increasingly perplexing in light of the Trojans' shoddy play at various points since. Teams like Kansas, Boston College and Arizona State -- strangers to the top 10 in recent years and thus, not surprisingly, afterthoughts in the minds of preseason pollsters, have permeated the national rankings and even the national championship discussion. Kansas, this year's Cinderella squad, is now one loss by Oregon or LSU away from playing in the big game. Or who knows, maybe the Jayhawks will impress voters enough against Oklahoma, their presumed opponents should they make it to the Big 12 championship game, that voters will leapfrog the Jayhawks into the No. 2 spot.
In this writer's opinion, Kansas, despite its improbably undefeated record and climb to the top five of both polls, does not legitimately deserve a spot in the title game over either LSU or Oregon. Though an undefeated record always carries a respectable amount of weight when evaluating a potential title team, Kansas's unblemished slate thus far does not look nearly as impressive when one takes a closer look at strength of schedule (or lack thereof).
A stronger case could be made for Oklahoma, and though having played a similarly soft schedule, the team has better athletes nearly across the board and, as such, is far better equipped to square off against the explosiveness of Oregon or LSU.
It's difficult to determine which team is better, Oregon or LSU, but for now, it's a moot point. Both teams possess two critical characteristics of typical national-championship-caliber teams. First off, both squads are stacked with top-notch athletes. LSU features an athletic, lightning-quick defense and a running attack that is particularly adept at keeping defenses off balance. Oregon's quarterback, Dennis Dixon, is one of the nation's most electrifying players and he gives the Oregon offense a rare and valuable flexibility that few offenses have. In addition, opposing defensive coordinators also must keep a close eye on Jonathan Stewart, a hulking 5-11, 230-pounder who is one of the nation's premier power-speed backs and a future top-15 selection in the NFL draft.
In the world of college football, where an understanding of a team's accomplishments can only be properly obtained with an examination of the contexts of those accomplishments, schedule strength should and does play a central role in deciding who is "best" in the land. The Tigers and Ducks both have challenging schedules to show for their efforts, particularly LSU, who has had to navigate the typically merciless SEC conference schedule.
Ever since the institution of the BCS, national championship races have become increasingly divisive, and some would even contend, more politicized. Evaluating the "title-game merits" is a tenuous charge for voters, and a fine line must be tread and a balance achieved between the formulaic and the intuitive. Relying on intuition and "feel" instead, even the lay fan can determine that Oregon and LSU are the nation's premier teams, and that teams like Kansas lack the necessary components to be considered title-worthy.
