With Texas A & M to push the SEC and Pac flirt with the Oklahoma-12, the debate continues to rage in Gainesville stools at the coffee shops of Seattle on which the football league is better.
The SEC made another definitive statement about its superiority on the night of Saturday. No. 4 Louisiana State dominated the line of scrimmage and dominated No. 3 Oregon, 40-27, capitalizing on turnovers Ducks and preventing their frenetic offense control the tempo of the game. Ducks struck again on the offensive in the biggest stage in college football, and also spat over last year's game for the national title against Auburn before losing, 22-19.
"That's good for the SEC," said Eric Reid Tigers safety. "We like to say we're the best conference, and it helps that we won tonight."
This game was not as close. LSUrompió the game open by scoring two touchdowns in the third quarter of balls of the Ducks celebrated the first year of running back Thomas De'Anthony. LSU hit the ball in the touchdown runs from Ford and Spencer Michael Ware, a limitation of 21 units of 41 yards and yards. The backup quarterback Jarrett Lee became a single step in the two units, underscoring the way he handled the LSU game and controlled the line of scrimmage.
Nothing sums up the Tigers' defensive dominance, rather than the four that forced turnovers. Oregon amassed more yards than the Tigers (335-273), but could not protect the ball enough to take advantage of their offensive spells success.
LSU finished with 175 yards rushing and held Heisman Trophy finalist Oregon LaMichael James to 54 yards on 18 carries.
The Tigers won despite Lee completing 10 of 22 passes for 98 yards, mostly because Ware rushed for 99 yards and a 96 Ford.
"They played good football, solid," said Oregon coach Chip Kelly from the University of Louisiana controlling the line of scrimmage. "That's all. That's a good defensive front. They did a good job, they were deep in schemes and very oriented in space control."
After a season defined by NCAA investigations, mischief conference expansion and off-field legal problems, it was logical that transcended the first game of college football showcase this year.
An hour before the game, Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott refused to answer questions about whether the conference had received calls about the interest in being part of Oklahoma.
In the Dallas area, where 12 major offices are located, the match played amid a context of change.
"We ask to be put to the perimeter of all those things that could be distractions and things that the sports media needed to visit and repetition and to define and clarify," said LSU coach Les Miles.
But in the field, the suspensions that have dogged the build-up in the game also loomed large. The Ducks desperately lost Cliff Harris, the defensive player most dynamic and special teams. That was never more evident than during the best play of the first half, when the ducks backup punt returner Kenjon Barner sent a punt and immediately snatched Tyrann ball Mathieu, who happened to be walking in the end zone after Barner embarrassing to give LSU a 9-6 advantage early in the second quarter.
LSU strong defense kept the Tigers in the game as Lee got into it. Lee would not be playing if not for the suspension of Jordan Jefferson, the starting quarterback, is out indefinitely for his role in a fight in the parking lot of the bar appropriately named Shady.
"I liked Jarrett Lee effort," said Miles. "I liked how the offense did what it had to do, keep the ball on the floor with his head."
Both teams bumbled through the first half, with 11 penalties, four fumbles (2 lost) and an interception, underscoring the extent to which each team is sputtering. Oregon offense could not find consistency, as Darron Thomas completed 17 of 27 passes, but threw an interception and felt great pressure from the LSU front seven.
In the end, the roars of the crowd for the Cowboys Stadium LSU echoed through the night. College football picked up right where you left off in 2010 with the SEC furious controversy and walk off the court with a new marquee victory.
