In No Mood to Split Hairs

There is every indication that tonight’s Sugar Bowl game between Louisiana State and Oklahoma will be played.

Despite reports No. 1 USC’s victory in the Rose Bowl on Thursday has rendered the bowl championship series title game meaningless, or at least drastically diminished, two teams are expected to show up at the Louisiana Superdome and maybe even put on a show.

Just so we’re clear on the facts, Oklahoma is No. 1 in the BCS standings but No. 3 in both human polls.

Louisiana State is No. 2 in both human polls and the BCS standings.

USC is No. 1 in both human polls and No. 3 in the BCS.

Wasn’t it Abe Lincoln who said a house divided cannot stand?

“It’s not a distraction,” Oklahoma Coach Bob Stoops said Saturday of the BCS ruckus. “It’s something you’ve got to talk about and I’m the one who has to do it.”

In fact, a controversy that has engulfed college football has not as deeply penetrated this gulf fortress.

Several players on both teams either did not watch or pretended not to care about the Rose Bowl outcome in spite of the fact USC’s victory likely will produce college football’s 11th split national championship.

“If we win, we’re national champions, period,” LSU free safety Jack Hunt said. “Whether it’s split or not really doesn’t matter to me.”

Not when there’s a party hat to put on.

Louisiana State fans have bottlenecked into town from far and remote locales, filling the streets and restaurants with Cajun cheer in hopes of celebrating what could be the school’s first national championship since 1958.

Oklahoma followers appear to be matching LSU fans drink-for-drink in the French Quarter.

Impromptu shout-offs have broken out in eating establishments all over town.

Oklahoma fans put out their call-and-response chant, “Boomer ... Sooner,” while the LSU faithful respond with taunts of “Tiger Bait! Tiger Bait! Tiger Bait!”

A thoroughly botched BCS season has produced a “Perfect Storm” sequence of unintended consequences, most of them beyond the scope of this insular gathering.

Remember, neither Oklahoma, Louisiana State nor the Sugar Bowl did anything wrong in this BCS mess.

The teams and the bowl involved here are, in essence, victims of an uproariously flawed system.

Not surprisingly, Oklahoma and LSU feel little reason to apologize for having the same 12-1 record USC has.

Tonight’s Sugar Bowl is diminished, but only because of circumstances and the rolling momentum of public discourse.

In the debate over which one-loss team is best, USC was able to strike first with a convincing 28-14 Rose Bowl victory over Michigan.

As the controversy was allowed to marinate, more and more pundits weighed in on this absurd situation:

How could the No. 1 team in both polls not be in the “national title” game?

How could No. 1 possibly drop after beating No. 4?

How could the voting coaches ever have signed on to an agreement that automatically gave their share of the title to the BCS title-game winner?

Did the coaches not realize how egg-faced they would be the year their No. 1 team could not win their own trophy?

The swing of sentiment toward USC has, predictably, affected the big-picture view of the Sugar Bowl and its participants, who became innocent BCS bystanders.

“The rules are set out ahead of time,” Oklahoma’s Stoops argued, “and we played by them.”

True enough. Oklahoma and LSU finished No. 1 and No. 2 in the BCS standings, a ranking system that incorporated the human polls along with computer and strength-of-schedule components.

“I have respect for the system,” LSU Coach Nick Saban said. “But the system was not equipped to handle three teams at the top.”

What we are left with is less than satisfactory.

USC will almost surely win the Associated Press half of the national title, while tonight’s Sugar Bowl winner will receive a tainted share of the coaches’ trophy.

This reality does not make the LSU-Oklahoma winner any more, or less, deserving of greatness.... It’s just the reality.

In fact, subplots aside, Oklahoma-LSU has the makings of terrific theater.

Both teams are fast and fundamentally sound, and both have something to prove.

Oklahoma was 12-0 and being compared to some of the great college teams in history before suffering a shocking 35-7 defeat to Kansas State in the Big 12 title game.

You could blame the Sooners’ letdown on many things, notably the fact they knew, win or lose, they were going to play in the BCS title game.

“It’s crazy how people are,” Oklahoma defensive end Tommie Harris said. “It shows you how the world works. When you’re up, everyone loves you, but when you’re down, they step all over you.

“Twelve weeks out of the season we’re loved, then we lose one game and we [stink], we don’t deserve this.... We’re going to show everyone why we’re here.”

What does Oklahoma have to offer?

The Sooners boast this year’s Heisman Trophy winner, quarterback Jason White, the Butkus Award winner in linebacker Teddy Lehman and the Lombardi Award winner, Harris.

The Sooners average 45 points a game and scored 50 points or more in four straight games during one stretch this season.

And, if LSU fans believe that the only reason USC is No. 1 in both polls is because it lost earlier in the season than the Tigers did, would they be wrong?

The Tigers went 12-1 and won the Southeastern Conference, generally considered to be the nation’s toughest. The Tigers boast the nation’s No. 1 scoring defense, having allowed only one opponent to score more than 20 points.

The defense is anchored by cat-quick tackle Chad Lavalais, a former prison guard.

The only thing wrong with the Sugar Bowl is that it has been eclipsed by events.

In a perfect world, tonight’s winner would play USC in a one-game playoff to decide a unanimous champion.

As we’ve discovered, though, the BCS is far from perfect.

Believe it or not, some people can live with that.

“It’s never going to be perfect,” Stoops said. “And it doesn’t need to be.”

*

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

Title Matches

A brief summary of past BCS championship games:

2003 FIESTA BOWL

Ohio St. d. Miami, 31-24 (2OT)

* Ohio State worked two overtimes to win the championship from a favored Hurricane team that had not lost in 34 games. Maurice Clarett ran five yards for the winning touchdown, and Ohio State’s defense turned back a final Miami bid to tie the score. It was the Buckeyes’ first title in 34 years in what is considered one of the best college football games.

2002 ROSE BOWL

Miami d. Nebraska, 37-14

* Hurricane sophomore wideout Andre Johnson racked up 199 yards and two touchdowns on seven receptions to win co-MVP honors with quarterback Ken Dorsey as Miami (12-0) finished undefeated. The Cornhuskers gave up 99 points in their final two games.

2001 ORANGE BOWL

Oklahoma d. Florida St., 13-2

* The Sooners, under second-year Coach Bob Stoops, won their first national championship in 15 years over the favored Seminoles. The Sooners entered the game a 10 1/2-point underdog and scored the lone touchdown -- by Quentin Griffith -- with 8:30 to play.

2000 SUGAR BOWL

Florida St. d. Virginia Tech, 46-29

* Bobby Bowden’s only undefeated season culminated in New Orleans. Seminole Peter Warrick caught six passes for 163 yards and a touchdown and also returned a punt for a score. The Hokies’ freshman quarterback, Michael Vick, ran the ball 23 times for 97 yards and threw for 225 yards.

1999 FIESTA BOWL

Tennessee d. Florida St., 23-16

* Volunteer receiver Peerless Price was the MVP with four receptions for 199 yards, including a 79-yard fourth-quarter touchdown from quarterback Tee Martin. Florida State quarterback Marcus Outzen -- playing for injured Chris Weinke -- completed only nine of 22 attempts for 145 yards, with two interceptions.