Stoops Says Let Them Talk

NEW ORLEANS â€”  If USC beats Michigan in Thursday’s Rose Bowl to earn Associated Press national championship honors, Sunday night’s Sugar Bowl game between Oklahoma and Louisiana State will be for some -- not all -- of the marbles, half of the enchilada, the kit but not the caboodle.

Despite its bowl championship series title tag, the Oklahoma-LSU winner would earn only a share of the national championship, thus diminishing the Sugar Bowl in the eyes of many.

But not Oklahoma Coach Bob Stoops.

“If USC were to win and it would end up being a split champion, it’s still a national championship,� Stoops said Tuesday. “They only give one of those crystal footballs out, and we got one just three years ago, and our guys like it. Having another would be incredibly special.

“Not in any way do I believe it hurts this game, and I don’t believe it hurts college football. In the end, it has given [the media] something to talk about for an entire month instead of the NFL. You’re talking about college football. It’s a positive.�

The controversial BCS formula rated Oklahoma (12-1) first despite a 35-7 loss to Kansas State in the Dec. 6 Big 12 Conference championship game, LSU (12-1) second and USC (11-1) third, despite USC’s No. 1 ranking in the media and coaches polls. Still, Stoops says the best two teams are in New Orleans.

“Everyone wants to treat the season as a playoff, and what everyone has to understand is that’s not the case,� Stoops said. “Had LSU lost its game a week before USC, then [the Tigers] probably would be No. 1 [in the polls]. With the BCS, it doesn’t matter when you lose, and that’s a good thing.

“People can pad their schedules, play easier games at the end, play a tough game early and it doesn’t have to bother you, whereas some people have to play their toughest game at the end of the year, and that’s not always fair. We’re the only team to go undefeated in the regular season, and if we crowned our champion like other conferences [with no title game], there would be nothing to talk about.

“But these are the rules they gave us before the season. If you want to change the rules next year, fine; just let us know before the season. We played by the rules and ended up first.�

But it isn’t what it’s supposed to be, the determinant of an undisputed national champion.

“The system is not equipped to handle three very closely ranked teams at the top,� LSU Coach Nick Saban said. “All three of these teams are very, very good.�

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Several true freshmen, including starting running back Justin Vincent and free safety LaRon Landry, will contribute to the LSU effort Sunday. However, no Tiger freshmen will be quoted.

Saban began shielding true freshmen from the media after an incident involving former Michigan State star Plaxico Burress, and he continued that policy at LSU.

“I was always taught that history is the best indicator of what the future is going to bring ... and when Plaxico said when we were going to Michigan that ‘this was going to be like taking candy from a baby,’ I said, ‘That’s it,’ � Saban said. “He’d never been to Michigan, they had just won the national championship....

“I trust our guys, but I think there’s a process of development we all need to go through. We want them to feel confident and comfortable when they speak so they represent themselves, their family and the program in a first-class way.�

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Since the day he left Michigan State to become LSU’s coach in 2000, Saban has been the subject of persistent NFL rumors.

But school officials are in negotiations with Saban’s agent on a contract extension they hope will put an end to speculation.

A clause in Saban’s current contract, which pays him $1.5 million a year, calls for him to make $1 more than the nation’s highest-paid college coach -- that would be Stoops, who makes $2.2 million -- if LSU wins the BCS championship. But LSU is expected to bump Saban’s annual salary into Stoops’ range regardless of Sunday’s Sugar Bowl outcome.