The 2012 Allstate

BCS National Championship Game The BCS National Championship Game, or BCS National Championship, was a postseason college football bowl game, used to determine a national champion of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), first played in the 1998 college fo ...

was a postseason college football

bowl game In North America, a bowl game is one of a number of post-season college football games that are primarily played by teams belonging to the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). For most of its history, the Division I Bowl Subdivi ...

between the

Alabama Crimson Tide The Alabama Crimson Tide refers to the intercollegiate athletic varsity teams that represent the University of Alabama, located in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide teams compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I as a me ...

and the

LSU Tigers The LSU Tigers and Lady Tigers are the athletic teams representing Louisiana State University (LSU), a state university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. LSU competes in NCAA Division I, Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Associat ...

, and determined the national champion of the 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season on Monday, January 9, 2012, at the

Mercedes-Benz Superdome The Caesars Superdome, commonly known as the Superdome (formerly known as Mercedes-Benz Superdome), is a multi-purpose stadium located in the Central Business District of New Orleans, Louisiana. It is the home stadium of the New Orleans Saint ...

in New Orleans, Louisiana. The game was part of the 2011–2012 Bowl Championship Series and a

rematch ''Rematch'' is the first US-released Sammy Hagar compilation album. After Sammy left Capitol Records for Geffen in 1981, and after Rick Springfield had a hit with the Hagar-penned "I've Done Everything for You", this collection was released to ...

of regular season foes. Alabama beat LSU 21–0 to win their 14th national championship, marking the first

shutout In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which one team prevents the other from scoring any points. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball. Shutouts are usuall ...

in a national championship game since the

1992 Orange Bowl The 1992 Orange Bowl was the 58th edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida, on January 1. Part of the 1991–92 bowl game season, it matched the top-ranked Miami Hurricanes of the Big East Confer ...

and the first ever shutout in a BCS bowl game. The game had the third-lowest TV rating, 14.01, in the 14-year history of the BCS National Championship game. It was LSU's first loss in a game played in New Orleans (which is near the LSU campus in Baton Rouge) since the

1987 Sugar Bowl The 1987 Sugar Bowl was the 53rd edition of the college football bowl game, played at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, on Thursday, January 1. Part of the 1986–87 bowl game season, it featured the fifth-ranked LSU Tigers ...

. From 1987 through the 2011 regular season, LSU was 4–0 in bowl games in New Orleans (three Sugar Bowls and the

2008 BCS National Championship Game The 2008 BCS National Championship Game (branded as the 2008 Allstate BCS National Championship Game for sponsorship reasons) was played at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, on Monday, January 7, 2008, and featured the No. 1 and ...

) and 5–0 in the city vs.

Tulane Tulane University, officially the Tulane University of Louisiana, is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by seven young medical doctors, it turned into a comprehensive pub ...

Teams

LSU was selected to participate in the BCS National Championship Game after a 13–0 regular season that culminated with a 42–10 win over the

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

in the

2011 SEC Championship Game The 2011 SEC Championship Game was played on December 3, 2011, in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia, and determined the 2011 football champion of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The game featured the Georgia Bulldogs of the Eastern div ...

. Alabama was picked as the other half of the match-up following an 11–1 campaign, with their only loss coming against LSU in overtime during the regular season. Over the following weeks, a series of upsets resulted in the Crimson Tide receiving a No. 2 ranking in the final

BCS Rankings The Bowl Championship Series (BCS) was a selection system that created four or five bowl game match-ups involving eight or ten of the top ranked teams in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of American college football, including ...

to qualify for the championship game. The selection of Alabama was controversial, and decried by writers such as

Rick Reilly Richard Paul Reilly (born February 3, 1958) is an American sportswriter. Long known for being the "back page" columnist for ''Sports Illustrated'', Reilly moved to ESPN on June 1, 2008, where he was a featured columnist for ESPN.com and wrote t ...

, and by fans who claimed other opponents, most prominently the

Oklahoma State Cowboys The Oklahoma State Cowboys and Cowgirls are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Oklahoma State University, located in Stillwater. The program's mascot is a cowboy named Pistol Pete. Oklahoma State participates at the National Col ...

(who finished second in most of the computer rankings), were more deserving of a spot in the game. The controversy lent support to the ever-increasing call for a

college football playoff The College Football Playoff (CFP) is an annual postseason knockout invitational tournament to determine a national champion for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), the highest level ...

and supposed SEC bias, specifically with regard to Alabama. Ironically, it was the conferences whose teams finished third and fourth (the Big 12 and the Pac-12) that had rejected the SEC's proposal for a four-team playoff in 2008. This game was the first time in the 14-year history of the BCS that the National Championship Game featured two teams from the same conference, let alone the same division (similar to the

2011 NCAA Division I baseball tournament The 2011 NCAA Division I baseball tournament began on Friday, June 3, 2011 as part of the 2011 NCAA Division I baseball season. The 64 team double elimination tournament concluded with the 2011 College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska, on June 29, ...

six months prior featuring two teams from the SEC East division, though that came about through a playoff). This was also the first time that the BCS National Championship Game was a rematch from a regular season game, although the 1996 season's

Bowl Alliance The Bowl Alliance was an agreement among college football bowl games (specifically the Sugar, Orange, and Fiesta Bowls) for the purpose of trying to match the top two teams in a national championship game and to provide quality bowl game match ...

National Championship game was also a rematch, when Florida defeated Florida State 52–20 for the national title in the

1997 Sugar Bowl The 1997 Nokia Sugar Bowl was the 63rd edition to the annual Sugar Bowl game and served as the Bowl Alliance's designated national championship game for the 1996 season. It matched No. 1 Florida State of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) aga ...

. As a result of the matchup, the SEC's streak of producing the BCS champion was assured of extending to six straight seasons.

Alabama

Alabama ranked first in rushing with 219.83 yards per game and in total defense (191.25 ypg), including scoring defense (8.83), rushing (74.92 yards per game) and passing (116.33 yards per game). Key players for the Crimson Tide were RB

Trent Richardson Trenton Jamond Richardson (born July 10, 1990) is an American football running back for the Caudillos de Chihuahua of Fútbol Americano de México. He played college football for the University of Alabama, was recognized as an All-American, an ...

(164.67 yards per game, 1583 rushing yards), OT

Barrett Jones Barrett A. Jones (born May 25, 1990) is a former American football guard. He played college football at Alabama, and was drafted by the Rams in the fourth round of the 2013 NFL Draft. Early years Jones was born in Memphis, Tennessee. He atte ...

(Outland Trophy recipient), LB

Courtney Upshaw Courtney Tremaine Upshaw (born December 13, 1989) is a former American football defensive end. He was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the second round of the 2012 NFL Draft. He played college football at Alabama. High school career Upshaw a ...

(17 tackles for losses and 8.5 sacks), and S

Mark Barron Mark Barron (born October 27, 1989) is an American football linebacker who is a free agent. He played college football at Alabama, where he was twice recognized as an All-American, and was a member of two BCS National Championship teams. He ...

(66 total tackles, 42 solos).

LSU

LSU ranked first in the conference in scoring offense (38.46) and second in the nation in total defense (252.08 yards). The Tigers averaged 375.31 yards per game with 215.15 yards in rushing and 160.15 yards in passing. The leaders of this team were CB

Tyrann Mathieu Tyrann Devine Mathieu (; born May 13, 1992) is an American football safety for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at LSU. In college he developed a reputation for causing turnovers, setting ...

(

Chuck Bednarik Award The Chuck Bednarik Award is presented annually to the defensive player in college football as judged by the Maxwell Football Club to be the best in the United States. The award is named for Chuck Bednarik, a former college and professional Ameri ...

recipient), CB

Morris Claiborne Morris Lee Claiborne (born February 7, 1990) is a former American football cornerback. He played college football at Louisiana State University (LSU), where he won the Jim Thorpe Award as the best defensive back in the country and was unanimous ...

(

Jim Thorpe Award The Jim Thorpe Award, named in memory of multi-sport athlete Jim Thorpe, has been awarded to the top defensive back in college football since 1986. It is voted on by the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame. In 2017, the award became sponsored by Payco ...

recipient, six interceptions for 173 yards, 1 TD and 6th overall draft pick), DE

Sam Montgomery Sidney Sammual Montgomery (born May 25, 1990) is a former American football defensive end. He previously played in the Canadian Football League (CFL) and before that the National Football League (NFL), into which he was drafted by the Houston Tex ...

(13 tackles for loss, 9 sacks for −55 yards), WR

Rueben Randle Rueben Jacob Randle (born May 7, 1991) is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the New York Giants in the second round of the 2012 NFL Draft. He played college football at Louisiana State University (LSU). He has also ...

(53 receptions, 917 yards, and 8 TD's) and P

Brad Wing Bradley Thomas Wing (born 27 January 1991) is an Australian professional American football punter for the San Antonio Brahmas of the XFL. He was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent in 2013. He played college football at ...

(44.14 punt average).

Starting lineups

(number corresponds to draft round) † = 2011 All-American

Game summary

Alabama won the

coin toss A coin is a small, flat (usually depending on the country or value), round piece of metal or plastic used primarily as a medium of exchange or legal tender. They are standardized in weight, and produced in large quantities at a mint in order to ...

with a call of "tails" and elected to defer their decision to the second half. The game, largely a defensive struggle, was epitomized by LSU's first possession of the game. The Tigers fumbled the ball on the opening play and ultimately ended up punting the football to Alabama after failing to gain a

first down A down is a period in which a play transpires in gridiron football. The down is a distinguishing characteristic of the game compared to other codes of football, but is synonymous with a "tackle" in rugby league. The team in possession of the ...

. The rest of the first half was dominated by both defenses. Alabama got within field goal range four times and kicker

Jeremy Shelley Jeremy Shelley (born October 25, 1990) is an American football placekicker who is currently a free agent. He played college football at Alabama. High school career Shelley attended Needham B. Broughton High School in Raleigh, North Carolina, p ...

made three of his attempts to give Alabama a 9–0 lead at halftime. LSU gained only one first down and was unable to cross the 50-yard line for the entire first half. The second half played out much the same as the first. Alabama's defense allowed LSU to cross the 50-yard line only once and gave up only four more first downs. Alabama was able to add 6 more points from a couple of Shelley field goals and another 6 points on the game's only touchdown on a 34-yard rush by Heisman Trophy finalist

Statistics

References

{{2011-12 NCAA Division I championships

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Football, American 21st century in New Orleans