Click here for linkAUBURN — The band sounded maybe a touch louder. The few thousand in crimson stayed just a little bit longer.
It was chaos in Jordan-Hare Stadium early Saturday evening.
All because the revenge for last season’s disaster in Tuscaloosa tasted just a little bit more satisfying given everything that had been riding on the preceding 60 minutes.
The No. 2-ranked Crimson Tide made its final BCS argument by dominating its grudge match against Auburn — running through, then past the Tigers to a 42-14 win.
There was no second-half meltdown a year after the Crimson Tide blew a 24-point lead — not with a career-high 203-yard night from running back Trent Richardson, and definitely not with the nation’s top defense playing one of its best games.
Alabama (11-1, 7-1 SEC) held Auburn to 140 yards — 44 in three quarters — while overcoming Tiger touchdowns scored on defense and special teams.
“With our defense,” defensive end Damion Square said, “we suffocate them.”
But was it enough?
Though Alabama fans chanted for LSU, the Tide must wait another week before the final Bowl Championship Series standings go public.
But it would take major chaos to event a second trip to the title game in three seasons.
Alabama coach Nick Saban first tried to sidestep talk of what comes next, but he made his pitch to the voters who’ll help set the Jan. 9 match-up in the BCS National Championship game.
“This team lost one game in overtime to a very, very good (LSU), who is No. 1 right now,” Saban said. “We lost in overtime. So everybody has to make their own choices and decisions about that. ... I think we deserve an opportunity, the best opportunity that’s out there for them.”