Dreamin' of Cotton

Despite the downturn at the end of the season, Alabama did beat LSU...to the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas against the Texas Tech Red Raiders. Yes, LSU, you learned that spending the day before the SEC Championship should have been focused on Georgia. Instead, your head coach and AD were in Dallas courting the Cotton Bowl for the invitation to play there on January 2nd.

The result of that poor logistical decision was two losses: one to Georgia in the SEC Championship game and the other to Bama who got the nod to play in the Cotton Bowl.

It works like this LSU: Champions usually have a long record of winning which is the result of hard work and planning over a long period of time with consistency. You're not there yet. The reason Alabama was chosen for the Cotton Bowl was its two records as the leader in most bowl games played in and its record as the leader in most bowl games won. Add to that equation the fact that Bama fans will swoop up those bowl tickets soon if not already. Plus those Bama fans will travel to Dallas in droves and spend money in Big D.

From the football perspective, the Cotton Bowl will feature the No. 1 offensive team in the nation in the Red Raiders against the No. 1 defensive team in the nation in the Crimson Tide. Throw in the Coach of the Year for Division I Region 2 will bring with him the SEC Defensive Player of the Year plus 5 All SEC players. Yes, Big D wants Bama to face off with the Red Raiders.

Les Miles either choked against Georgia or just doesn't still quite catch on to the importance of the SEC Championship game. He still doesn't quite have the leverage he thinks he does.