Facts: ESPN has a monopoly on television when it comes to the BCS analysis. ESPN broadcasts the BCS Selection Show, has the only BCS analysts (the primary one, of course, graduated from Alabama), broadcasts the BCS games including the championship, employs the central voice of college football (Herbstriet) and has no competitor on TV. This monopoly of influence comes into play with poll voters, who of course will be instrumental in determining the title game matchup.

Given this, it is incredibly interesting that ESPN, which clearly has a heavily vested interest in who plays in the BCS championship game, is so strongly hyping The Rematch Of The Game Of The Century as the obvious, no other alternative choice. Obviously the ratings for the LSU-Alabama game earlier this year were enormous, and ESPN likely would stand to benefit greatly from a ratings standpoint were the two teams to rematch. I also think it's safe to say that the ratings for that would exceed those for an LSU-Oklahoma State game. Because of this, ESPN obviously has a conflict in being able to report from an unbiased standpoint.

A rematch, if all things hold, is illogical for many reasons. The logical result if all things hold is for LSU to play Oklahoma State for the national title. It would set a bad precedent for a team that lost to the presumptive national title opponent at home, that did not win its conference let alone its own division (which also was won by the presumptive national title opponent), that beat three FBS teams with winning records all season (Penn State, Arkansas, Auburn), to be rewarded with the opportunity for a rematch against a team it lost to at home, over a conference championship team with a better resume such as an Oklahoma State – which would have beaten three teams that are in the top 18 of the BCS (Oklahoma, Baylor, and Kansas State), as well as five other FBS teams with winning records, that has not played LSU let alone lost to them on their home field. Also, as has been established, given the computer rankings there would only need to be a quarter of all pollsters to lean Oklahoma State for the Cowboys to pass Alabama.

If an honest journalist or analyst was looking at the big picture from an unbiased standpoint, they would offer the previous information. Instead, ESPN to this point has offered no such alternative and is continually pointing to The Rematch. Again, because it would stand to earn more money from advertising and viewership for a rematch based on previous television ratings than it would in a game between LSU and Oklahoma State.

I don’t care either way if LSU plays Alabama, Oklahoma State, Virginia Tech, or whoever – at this point I just want us to beat Arkansas. But I find it incredibly dishonest for a network with so much riding on what teams play in the games it broadcasts to attempt to influence the matchup and dissuade logic and reason so that it can have more profit.

What do you guys think?

This post was edited on 11/27/11 at 11:14 am