Why Texas vs. LSU may be the championship in football, too

• By Ted on Tuesday, June 23, 2009
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Game 1 of the College World Series 2009, between the LSU Tigers and the Texas Longhorns, video of which you can see here—-

—was pretty sweet, taking 11 innings to resolve. 

Now, while college baseball is fun and all (there are four tangible reasons to love the CWS, in fact), college football is obviously a bigger money sport. So like that situation a few years back when Florida and Ohio State met in both the football and basketball championships, well—is it possible LSU and Texas could be the BCS National Championship in January?

It is, indeed.

Texas’ season boils down to one game, and then worries of a trap game. If they beat Oklahoma in the Red River Shootout (October 17 at the Cotton Bowl), every other game is winnable. Problem is: we said the same thing last season, and then this happened in early November:

 

If there is a ‘trap game’ for Texas in 2009, it’s probably at Oklahoma State on Halloween. Some pundits have Okie State in their preseason Top 10. Still, even though this logic didn’t completely work last year, if the ‘Horns get past Oklahoma in Dallas, they have as good a shot as anyone in America to reach the BCS title game.

LSU’s path is a little tougher. They have a top recruiting class and just added John Chavis to manage the defensive side of the ball, but a SEC schedule is more brutal than a Jason Biggs marathon on TBS. (“Loser,” though, is a somewhat underrated film, if one predicated in some ways on roofies.)

Their schedule opens with Washington—should be a rout, but new coach (for UW) Steve Sarkisian may come out guns blazing to make a program statement—but then, in a stretch from the beginning of October to the beginning of November, this is their run:

- At Georgia

- Home vs. Florida

- Home vs. Auburn

- Home vs. Tulane

- At Alabama

The ‘Florida comes to Death Valley’ game probably decides the SEC as much as Oklahoma/Texas decides the Big 12. Don’t sleep on Georgia though—even without Matthew Stafford and Knowshon Moreno, most people still have them in the Top 20. And AT Alabama, no matter how good or bad a Crimson Tide team is in that given year (and this one will be good), is always one of the hardest wins in college football.

Still, if they steal the Florida game and their recruits crew is gelling by November 7 (the ‘Bama game), well… LSU could come out of the SEC. 

In that case, let’s assume USC loses one game before mid-November, which seems to happen every year. (Oregon State? REALLY?)

 

... then wouldn’t you feel comfortable putting the Big 12 winner and the SEC winner in the national title game?