Crimson Red Sports

This BCS race could very well come down to which team gets a second chance.

The field of contenders has been separated into the two at the top — No. 1 LSU and No. 2 Oklahoma — and the next three — Alabama, Oregon and Oklahoma.

The Tigers and Cowboys are unbeaten. Stay that way for a few more weeks and there is your BCS championship game. There would be few complaints about that matchup. At least none with any merit.

But there is already an ongoing debate over which team should be in the on-deck circle should Oklahoma State lose.

In fact, Southeastern Conference fans were pushing for a rematch of LSU-Alabama BEFORE the Tigers and Crimson Tide played.

LSU's 9-6 overtime victory in Tucsaloosa, Ala., was not a thing of beauty, but it did re-affirm what most already knew: The best two defenses in the country play in the same division. And if NFL scouts decided which teams should play for the national championship, there's a good chance there would be an LSU-Alabama II. You will not find two more talented rosters.

However, those who support the Bowl Championship Series like to remind those who don't that college football's regular season is the most exciting in sports because it's essentially a playoff every week. If Alabama gets another shot at LSU, the "Game of the Century" was pretty much meaningless.

Oregon fans are now looking for a mulligan, too.

_ Florida Atlantic (0-9) of the Sun Belt is the only winless FBS team. Coach Howard Schnellenberger, 77, will retire at the end of the season and the Owls have three games (against Troy, UAB, Louisiana-Monroe) left to avoid the first winless season of his 27-year career with Miami, Louisville, Oklahoma and FAU.