(Editor’s note: Here are Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4 of our LSU-Alabama recap. For the final installment, we look at the impact of the loss on Alabama’s ranking.)
How far should Alabama fall in the polls?
Allen Kenney: I wouldn’t drop Alabama too far. The Tide have beaten some good teams this year and been impressive in doing so. There’s no shame in losing to a team like LSU by a field goal in overtime.
In my BlogPoll ballot, I will probably have ‘Bama ranked as the best of the one-loss teams. Will tell you one thing, though – the BCS folks need to be rooting hard for Stanford and Oklahoma State, because we could be looking at a real mess at the end of the year if we’re sorting through teams that aren’t undefeated.
Michael Felder: For me, none. I’m not into rewarding teams just because of record; by that logic LSU, Houston, Boise State, Oklahoma State and Stanford should all be tied at No. 1. Seems silly to me. My BlogPoll is a function of how good a team is. Sorry, but Oklahoma State’s “monumental win” over a less than talented Kansas State team in which its outstanding defense gave up 45 points didn’t impress me. Boise State’s epic 48-21 take down of one of the nation’s worst teams, UNLV? Sorry, Charlie. Stanford over Oregon State? Meh.
If Bama losing this game made you think they’re worse than any or all of those teams, I’d be curious to know what you’re basing that off of.
Regie Eller: If I was Poll Czar, LSU would be No. 1 and Alabama would be No. 2. It won’t happen that way, but I do not think the Tide should drop below No. 3 in the country, by any means.
Aaron Torres: Not far. I have yet to really break things down, but even in losing at home, it’s hard for me to see ‘Bama out of the top five or six. I don’t know that I’ll have any undefeated teams ranked behind the Crimson Tide, but how can they not be the top one-loss team right now? They lost to the No. 1 team in the country in overtime by a field goal.
To put it a different way, had the Tide played 118 other FBS teams last night and played the way they had, they would’ve won.
They just ran into the one they couldn’t beat.
Tom Perry: Not far, but a few spots. Behind LSU, Oklahoma State and Stanford, but not Boise. Could anyone really see Boise State surviving a game like that one last night?
Kevin McGuire: Alabama is still clearly a top-10 team, and losing by three points in overtime at home to the number one team doesn’t merit a significant drop in my opinion, even if Alabama didn’t play their A-game. I dropped them to fifth overall in my top 25 and they are the top one-loss team out there as far as I am concerned. For now I have Oklahoma State, Stanford and Boise State ranked ahead of Alabama just because I reward undefeated teams when I can (sorry Houston, not yet). This should put Alabama in a terrific spot to get in to the BCS championship picture, which I know we have discussed previously (with a rematch). I’m not a fan of a rematch if it comes to that, but I think things will set up for it to be a real possibility.
