COUNTERPOINT: The Urban Meyer Rule Must Go

So it turns out they're equally "good."

As much as it pains me to disagree with this blog's senior proprietor, I must argue in favor of abolishing the Urban Meyer Rule and setting up an LSU-Alabama rematch in the BCS championship game. Were it not for the modern barbarism of overtime, last night's match would have ended in a 6-6 tie. Truly a score that even the Big Ten greats of old would appreciate! And then both teams would be undefeated, which, as an SEC fan would tell you, is how it should be.

Now some will say that Alabama had their chance to topple LSU and that they failed, so why should they deserve another? While I am sympathetic to that argument, there is a counterargument in favor of a rematch I find more compelling.

We all know that LSU and Alabama are dirty fucking cheaters that sign way too many recruits and then use dubious methods such as grayshirting or claiming medical hardship to keep their team roster at the scholarship limit. I say we let them go off and have their precious "BCS Championship" and, if there is a consensus #3 vs. #4 matchup in one of the other BCS bowls, we argue forcefully in favor of that being the true national championship for teams that don't fuck over 17- and 18-year-old kids.

The most likely way for this scenario to go down is for Stanford to lose once down the stretch, Oklahoma State to lose to Oklahoma, and Boise State to remain undefeated. We could then end up with #3 Boise vs. #4 Oklahoma at the Fiesta Bowl. Ironically, the dirty fucking cheater of bowl games would benefit most from this scenario, but this is big-time NCAA sports. At least one cheater has to prosper.

So I say rematch! But I also say, who cares who wins? The true national champion will have been decided a week earlier.

The Urban Meyer Rule

I'm officially getting out ahead of this.


I would just like to remind America that no matter who loses the LSU-Alabama game this weekend, the loser is AUTOMATICALLY disqualified from consideration for the BCS National Championship game under the Urban Meyer Rule.

The Urban Meyer Rule came about in 2006 when Florida's then-coach Urban Meyer successfully campaigned for his Florida Gators to get into the BCS National Championship game by arguing that Michigan had already had their shot at Ohio State and thus should not get a second chance.  Nothing changes in 2011.  Not the fact that the loser of that game will come from the SEC.  Not the fact that the result could be closer than three points.  Not the fact that the game was played earlier in November than the final week.  Not the fact that it may be the home team that was the #2 instead of the #1 team.  Nothing changes.  If Michigan doesn't get a rematch, neither of these teams do.  It's black letter law.

Mr. Meyer set his precedent, the SEC must be held to the same standard by the BCS and the poll's voters that Michigan was held to in 2006.  Otherwise, the BCS is just a trave...oh, right.