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As for those not looking forward to another defensive slugfest, Saban countered, "Two great defensive teams, no doubt. … There are so many good players on both sides for both teams …I think there's a lot of opportunity for the game to be completely different and have a completely different flavor from what the first game did."

A rematch seemed like a foregone conclusion heading into conference championship weekend until Oklahoma State narrowed the gap behind Alabama in the polls. But the Crimson Tide edged No. 3 Oklahoma State by .0086 in the final BCS rankings released Sunday, the closest margin in the eighth year under the current formula. The previous closest margin between No. 2 and 3 was .0157 separating No. 2 Oklahoma and No. 3 Auburn in 2004.

While the BCS title game selection held to form, the Sugar Bowl provided the controversy. The Sugar bypassed BCS No. 7 Boise State and No. 8 Kansas State in favor of No. 11 Virginia Tech and No. 13 Michigan. The Hokies, the most baffling pick, were routed by Clemson 38-10 in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship gam