SMQ: Why Florida State vs Alabama football was the most meaningless game of 2017

3. No. 3 Oregon vs No. 4 LSU in Arlington, TX (2011)

A year after playing for the BCS national championship against Auburn, No. 3 Oregon entered 2011 hoping to take down a different SEC opponent to open a return trip to the title game. Instead the Ducks ran into the Tigers buzzsaw.

LSU was held to 98 passing yards by the Ducks despite featuring receivers Rueben Randle and Odell Beckham Jr. Oregon coughed up three fumbles, one which was returned for a touchdown by Tyrann Mathieu and Darron Thomas also threw an interception. The Tigers pulled away for a 40-27 win to open an undefeated regular season campaign.

What happened next for both teams?

As mentioned above, LSU took down the next dozen opponents on its schedule, including No. 12 Georgia in the SEC Championship Game. The Tigers climbed to No. 1 by the beginning of October and remained there until losing the national title game in a rematch against rival Alabama. That loss knocked LSU down only to No. 2 in the final AP and Coaches polls.

Oregon, meanwhile, dropped 10 spots to No. 13 after its loss to LSU in Texas. The eventual Pac-12 champs climbed up to No. 4 again in November before falling to No. 18 USC. After winning the conference title, the two-loss Ducks represented their league against Big Ten champion Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl. Against the No. 9 Badgers, Oregon won 45-38 and rose back up to No. 4.

What did it mean by the end of the year?

LSU could have taken down just about anyone on opening weekend and done fine in the polls. The Tigers could have knocked off a Sun Belt squad and eventually made their way to No. 1 in the country as an undefeated SEC champion. They received a nominal boost in the computer rankings that were a component of the BCS standings, but even then human polls would still have ensured they played for the title.

Oregon, meanwhile, won the Pac-12 and had a guaranteed pathway to Pasadena. As long as they won their league, they were playing in a BCS bowl. The Ducks ended up finishing just one spot lower than they started in the AP Top 25, while LSU finished two spots higher than they started. Had Oregon played a cupcake game instead of the Tigers, it might have had a slight impact on computer rankings but little else.