Read Sports Geek’s argument and Loyal Homer’s argument about which will be the best game of THIS weekend.
FINALLY, we have some worthwhile football to watch this weekend. If last night’s unofficial Pac-10 Championship between Oregon and Oregon State is any indication of what is in store for us this weekend, then we are all in for a treat! With three premier games on the slate – #5 Cincinnati at #15 Pittsburgh for the Big East Championship, #3 Texas versus #22 Nebraska for the Big XII Championship, and #1 Florida versus #2 Alabama for the SEC Championship – Saturday should make for a college football lover’s dream come true!
That is, of course, unless you face a dilemma similar to Bleacher Fan’s this weekend. You see, the Bleacher Fan Clan (without soliciting any actual input from Bleacher Fan) felt that Saturday, December 5th, would be the PERFECT time to embark on an annual holiday tradition. That means that while the rest of America is settling down to enjoy some of the best college football games of the year, Bleacher Fan will be heading out into the country in the old front-wheel drive sleigh to embrace the frosty majesty of the winter landscape and select that most important of Christmas symbols. I, therefore, must choose between the three games and select the one that I most want to watch, sacrificing the other two all because the most enduring traditions of the season are best enjoyed in the warm embrace of kith and kin. Thith THTINKTH!
Fortunately, the decision is not a difficult one. Although the Big XII and Big East Championships should make for outstanding games, neither will be able to match the excitement (or impact) of the National SEC Championship Game.
Any time the top two teams in the nation play it is a game worth watching. This one, however, comes loaded with implications exceeding even those of your “normal” number one versus number two matchup. First, it is a championship game. The winner of the Florida–Alabama game will not only be named the top team in the country but also the 2009 SEC champions (a pretty good title to have when you consider that the last three SEC Champions have also gone on to become national champions).
Second, both teams are virtually GUARANTEED an invitation to the BCS, with the winner being offered the opportunity to play in the national championship game. For people who want to see a college playoff setup, this is about the closest that we can get. Two BCS-caliber teams will take the field with the winner moving along to the national championship game – I don’t know about you, but that sounds like a playoff setting to me!
There is even more at stake, specifically for the Florida Gators who are teetering on the brink of “Dynasty” status. Having already won national championships in 2006 and 2008, the Gators are very close to winning a third title in four years. Depending on the outcome of the other conference championship games, Alabama may be the last REAL opportunity for a school to prevent that from happening. When you consider that the Crimson Tide are conference rivals of the Gators, it is safe to assume that ‘Bama would love nothing more than to be the team that stopped Florida in its tracks.
Neither coach is a stranger to the BCS (Urban Meyer won national championships in 2006 and 2008, and Nick Saban earned one title while head coach of LSU in 2003), and both schools would be worthy representatives from the SEC at the title game in January. All we have to do is sit back and enjoy as these two titans battle it out on the field at the Georgia Dome this Saturday at 4pm. It’s a winner-take-all matchup between the best two teams in the country for the SEC crown and a shot at the national championship – it doesn’t get any better than this!
