#1 LSU in trouble loses!
Arkansas leads LSU, 14-6, with 9:40 left in the third quarter. Darren McFadden just rushed 73 yards for a touchdown; he has 151 yards on 17 carries today, making him the first 100-yard rusher against the Tigers this season.
Meanwhile, Texas A&M is leading Texas 10-0. A loss by the Longhorns would eliminate the juicy possibility of a USC-Texas Fiesta Bowl, but on the bright side, it would boost the Trojans' extremely slim national-title hopes. (Oklahoma would then need to lose to Oklahoma State tomorrow, but win the Big 12 title game next Saturday. And lots of other teams would need to lose, specifically LSU, West Virginia, Georgia, Virginia Tech and Oregon. It also wouldn't hurt if Boston College loses to Miami but then wins the ACC title game... and if LSU loses twice. If all of the above happens, and the Trojans beat the Bruins, that would leave two-loss USC, possibly two-loss UConn, one-loss non-conference-champ Kansas, and perhaps undefeated WAC champ Hawaii arguing over who gets to play Ohio State in New Orleans, and I think the Trojans would win the argument.)
UPDATE: Arkansas wins!! Final score: 50-48 in triple OT.
I had a feeling LSU was going to lose, either today or in the SEC title game. As I wrote last night, it was foolish for anyone analyzing the BCS to just assume the Tigers would win out, as had seemingly become the norm. LSU has been living on the edge all season, and as I put it last week, "I think the Tigers are a bit like Hillary Clinton: they've been at or near the top of the polls for long enough that they are starting to feel inevitable, but they haven't actually done anything to establish that they're head-and-shoulders above everyone else." Tonight, they were brought back down to earth.
That said, don't believe anyone who says "LSU's title hopes are dead." They're not. All the Tigers need is for West Virginia to lose (to UConn tomorrow or to Pitt next Saturday) and Oklahoma to win the Big 12, and they'll be right back in the hunt.
If Kentucky beats Tennessee tomorrow and Georgia beats Georgia Tech, the SEC title game next Saturday would feature the nation's two highest-ranked two-loss teams, LSU and Georgia... and if UConn upsets WVU tomorrow, the two-loss SEC champ would only need Oklahoma to beat Kansas or Missouri to potentially earn a trip to New Orleans to play Ohio State. That scenario would create a debate between Oklahoma and the LSU-Georgia winner, and perhaps USC and Virginia Tech if they win out and win their conference titles, and one-loss, non-champion Kansas. But I think the SEC champ would get the better of the argument, in part because of the Kreutz Theorem ("when [pollsters] rank SEC teams, they automatically subtract a loss from their record") and in part because, well, the SEC champ honestly would probably be the best choice in that situation, unless you want to make an argument for undefeated Hawaii. Particularly if the champ is LSU, they'll be able to say: 1) they won the nation's toughest conference, and 2) their two losses both came in triple-overtime. That's a more compelling case than any of the others would be able to make. So I think LSU is still effectively fourth in the BCS pecking order, behind the winner of tomorrow's Kansas-Missouri game (#1), West Virginia (#2) and Ohio State (#3).
P.S. Oh, and also, Texas lost! Woohoo!!
Wow, LSU just had a go-ahead TD called back on a penalty. Which I only saw because there was a commercial during Texas-Texas A&M. Gig 'Em Ags!
Posted by: Jim Hu | Nov 23, 2007 5:59:32 PM
There is really no excuse as to how my Tigers are playing right now, but jeez, there are so many bullshit calls in this game... and a lot not getting called AT ALL.
Posted by: DUP | Nov 23, 2007 5:59:47 PM
OT!
Posted by: gahrie | Nov 23, 2007 6:29:09 PM
Second OT!
Go Razorbacks!
Posted by: gahrie | Nov 23, 2007 6:46:08 PM
Third OT!
Go Hogs!
Posted by: gahrie | Nov 23, 2007 6:54:24 PM
Arkansas wins!
What a fargin' college football season!
Posted by: gahrie | Nov 23, 2007 7:06:09 PM
Guess LSU will hope for the AP Championship now right ;-)
Posted by: David K. | Nov 23, 2007 7:08:12 PM
Wow.
Posted by: jc | Nov 23, 2007 7:08:47 PM
Darren McFadden, welcome back to the Heisman race...
Posted by: Scientizzle | Nov 23, 2007 7:23:53 PM
Dennis Franchione just resigned during the post-game press conference.
Posted by: Jim Hu | Nov 23, 2007 8:28:55 PM
If the season ended saturday it would be Missouri vs. West Vagina for the BCS championship. I think the AP should just name the real champ after it's all done, cuz the BCS sure as heck wouldn't be legit. Of course that will all change next week (and the bowls hereafter) anyway. So we could get the proper finale Ohio St. vs Kansas. Whoooot hoooot!!!
Posted by: Sandy Creamjeans | Nov 23, 2007 9:59:16 PM
True, LSU's losses are in very close games, but much like UCLA of a few seasons a go, alot of their wins this season were also incredibly close games. So yeah, i guess the SEC is a war in the sense that you have a lot of teams that are about equally likely of beating each other...kinda like the Pac-10...
Posted by: David K. | Nov 23, 2007 11:00:10 PM
This turn of events puts me in the bizarre situation of wanting Oklahoma to win the Big 12 and Georgia to win tomorrow. This feels so wrong....
Posted by: Mike's brother Matt | Nov 24, 2007 3:07:56 AM
I feel your pain, I have to root for UCLA to beat Oregon...
Posted by: Brendan | Nov 24, 2007 11:51:59 AM
Or have Oregon and USC win out, USC wouldn't go to the Rose but they would certainly be high enough as an at large choice for another bowl.
Posted by: David K. | Nov 24, 2007 1:59:49 PM
Yes, but I meant for USC to win the national championship. :) At least until Oklahoma beats Okie State today, I will continue to hold out hope that every damn domino will fall and the Trojans will somehow end up in New Orleans. And for that to happen, Oregon must lose either to fUCLA or to Oregon State.
Posted by: Brendan | Nov 24, 2007 2:10:17 PM