The LSU football team officially landed a spot in the Nokia Sugar Bowl national championship game in New Orleans after the Bowl Championship Series final standings were released on Sunday with the Tigers finishing second.
The Tigers opponent on Jan. 4 will be No. 1 Oklahoma (12-1), which lost the Big XII conference championship game to Kansas State 35-7. The Sooners finished with 5.19 points, followed by LSU with 5.99 and USC third with 6.15. The margin between second and third marks the second closest margin in the BCS’ six-year history.
Despite being ranked No. 1 in both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today polls, Southern California (11-1) was ranked No. 3 in the BCS standings and will play Michigan (10-2) in the Rose Bowl. Other BCS Bowl matchups include Miami versus Florida State in the Orange Bowl and Kansas State versus Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl.
“I told the players today, I know how happy they were for what they’ve accomplished and how happy I was for what they accomplished,” said LSU coach Nick Saban. “Truly I don’t think they understand … what a tremendous impact they’ve had on the happiness and pride of so many people in the state of Louisiana by what they were able to accomplish.”
LSU (12-1) found out about its berth to the national championship game at 2 p.m. Sunday during a team meeting. But Saban said the approach to this game will be the same as the previous 13 contests.
“It’s going to have to be the emphasis with our team when we start preparation, it’s going to be to win the 13th game that we play,” Saban said.
Tigers defensive end Chad Lavalais said that he wants to win no matter the circumstance of the game. He said that attitude is representative of the entire team.
“It doesn’t matter who we play,” Lavalais said. “As long as we bring our A-game, we can beat anyone.”
LSU quarterback Matt Mauck said the Tigers should be able to focus solely on Oklahoma as it is the only game left to play.
“I think this team has done a great job no matter who we’re playing — focusing on just that team,” Mauck said. “There’s nothing else to think about after that. It’s just this game. But, I think we’ve done it all year long and we’ll continue to do it in this game.”
LSU chancellor Mark Emmert praised the consistency and character of the players for their accomplishments.
“These young men have worked so hard all year long and it began long before just a year ago.” Emmert said. “They’ve been very disciplined, very focused to be able to ignore all the hoopla, to ignore all the nonsense that has been spinning around them in the media and in the community and on campus. And to go out and play game after game the way they did is just something that I’m just personally extremely proud of.”
LSU Athletics Director Skip Bertman then praise LSU coach Nick Saban and his coaching staff.
“They did a tremendous job,” Bertman said. “It wasn’t just another good coaching job. It was extraordinarily exceptional.”