Updated: January 5, 2008, 5:10 PM ET
BCS National Championship pits Big Ten vs. SEC
No two fan bases are louder and prouder than those represented by Ohio State and LSU in this Allstate BCS National Championship Game.
The Big Ten and Southeastern conferences put more fannies in seats every autumn than any other leagues. They have more tradition than any other leagues. And they have more to argue about with each other than any other leagues.
An ESPN.com Tale of the Tape to tell 'em apart:
| Tale of the tape: BCS Championship edition | ||
| Big Ten | SEC | |
| Football Stereotype | Power | Speed |
| National Champs (since 1936) |
13 | 16 |
| Bowl Record vs. Each Other (since 2002) |
9-7 | 7-9 |
| Heisman Winners | 14 | 8 |
| Avg. Stadium Size | 76,205 | 77,721 |
| Biggest House | The Big House (107,501) |
Neyland Stadium (104,079) |
| Golden Decade | 1970s Woody vs. Bo |
1990s Three schools won national titles |
| '90s Acquisition | Penn State | Arkansas, South Carolina |
| Missed On | Notre Dame | Florida State |
| Dearly Departed | Chicago | Georgia Tech, Tulane |
| Token Academic School | Northwestern | Vanderbilt |
| Don't Mention | Stephen Pamon | Albert Means |
| Historic Underachiever | Illinois | South Carolina |
| Historic Overachiever | Wisconsin | Auburn |
| Famous Bo | Schembechler | Jackson |
| Iconic Headgear | Michigan helmets Woody's ball cap |
Bear's houndstooth Spurrier's visor |
| Fan Fashion Statement | Grown men in jerseys | Frat boys in ties |
| Chickwear | Sweat suits | Swim suits |
| Footwear | Furry boots | Flip-flops |
| Old-School Icon | Fielding H. Yost | Gen. Robert Neyland |
| Repeaters | Archie Griffin wins two Heismans | Manning family produces three great QBs |
| Baddest Dude | Butkus | Herschel |
| No Full Names Necessary | JoePa | Head Ball Coach |
| Staff Nepotism | Jay Paterno | Steve Spurrier Jr. |
| We Wuz Robbed | Penn State 1994 | Auburn 2004 |
| Guy They Hate | Les Miles, for turning down Michigan | Charles Woodson, for stealing Peyton's Heisman |
| Best Tradition | Postgame fifth quarter at Wisconsin | Pregame tailgating in The Grove at Ole Miss |
| Slow To | Embrace speed | Integrate |
| Don't Mention II | Maurice Clarett | Logan Young |
| Signature Fight Song | "Hail To The Victors" | "Rocky Top" |
| Infamous Clemson Punches | Woody fired for slugging Tigers player | South Carolina pulled out of bowl for brawl with Tigers |
| Wildest Night Spot | Beaver Stadium | Tiger Stadium |
| League Hoppers | Ron Zook | Nick Saban |
| NFL Exile Coaches | 0 | 4 (Petrino, Saban, Spurrier, Brooks) |
| Famous Fans | Jim Belushi, Illinois | James Carville, LSU |
| Alphabet Traditions | Dotting the "I" at Ohio State | Running through the "T" at Tennessee |
| Tailgate Staple | Brats | Barbecue |
| Politically Incorrect Mascot | Chief Illiniwek | Colonel Reb |
| Best Rivalry Trophy | Floyd of Rosedale | Golden Egg |
Pat Forde is a senior writer for ESPN.com. He can be reached at ESPN4D@aol.com.
2007 Bowl Season
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Features
• Maisel: What a way to geaux
• Wojciechowski: Miles deserves a wa-hooooo
• Forde: Ohio St. buckles under BCS pressure
• Schlabach: Game analysis
Video
• GameDay: Big Ten weak?
• Forde/Schlabach: BCS analysis
• Forde/Schlabach: Keys to the game
• McShay: BCS breakdown
• Postgame quotes: Jim Tressel
• Postgame quotes: Glenn Dorsey
• Postgame quotes: Les Miles
• LSU celebrates win over Ohio State
BCS Title Game Preview
Features
• Forde/Maisel: 10 reasons Ohio State/LSU will win
• Forde: BCS title game important for more than football to New Orleans
• Maisel: OSU's children of the scorn
• Forde: Destiny's Team tag fits Tigers well
• Wojciechowski: Don't believe the hype
• Forde: Tale of the tape
• Maisel: BCS QBs not stars, but leaders
• Schlabach: 'Ironhead' Heyward's memory alive in son
• Beanie carries the load for Bucks
• Maisel: Healthy Dorsey ready to roll
• Wojciechowski: Ohio State's motivational DVD
• Maisel: Face of the Ohio State
• Wojciechowski: Les is more
• Schlabach: BCS notebook
• Low: Steltz family ties
• Low: Early bowls offer BCS game clues
• Scouts' edge: LSU or Ohio State?
Video
• Forde/Maisel: Breaking down the title game
• Forde/Maisel: Hester, Laurinaitis define teams
• Forde/Schlabach: X-Factors
• Schlabach: Bucks' WRs key
• Players expect electric atmosphere
• GameDay: Which defense will prevail?
• Forde/Maisel: LSU's D-Line vs. Ohio State's O-Line
• Maisel/Schlabach: Title game intangibles
• Forde/Schlabach: Pelini's impeding departure a factor?
• McShay: BCS Championship preview
Fiesta Bowl
• Forde: Stewart nails on-the-job interview
• Forde: Scene of the crime
• Forde: Mo' money, mo' problems
• Forde: Picture worth 1,000 words
Rose Bowl
• Schlabach: USC looks like nation's best team
• Feldman: McKnight's impressive coming-out party
• Schlabach: Illinois' offense as easy as 1-2-3
• Feldman: USC defense starts, finishes up front
• Schlabach: Rose coaches have similar stories
• Feldman: Patience helps Booty weather storm
• Schlabach: Leman's success mirrors Illini's rise
• Feldman: USC still up despite 'down' year
• Schlabach: Third year a charm for Zook, Illini
Sugar Bowl
• Maisel: Seems like old times
• Low: Howard hosts sack party
• Maisel: Sweet smell of success
• Schlabach: Richt takes a walk on the wild side
• Dinich: Jones finds ohana in Hawaii
• Low: Growth spurt helps Georgia come of age
• Nielsen: 'Dread-Heads' Hawaii's unsung stars
Orange Bowl
• Dinich: Kansas proved it belonged
• Dinich: Kansas time share
• Dinich: Virginia Tech makes two work
Other Bowl Coverage
• Adelson: A final spin in the old Carr
• Dinich: Texas Tech steals a bit of luck
• Low: Liberty Bowl win caps MSU's season
• Low: Croom's breakthrough season
• Low: UCF's Smith running into record books
• Feldman: Motivated Horns stampede Sun Devils
• Maisel: Lone Star State QBs shining on bowls
• Schlabach: Coaching transition game
• Forde: Schnellenberger takes road less traveled
What To Watch
• Pat Forde: Bowl-der Dash
•
Feldman's picks: December | January• Flash Gallery: Chris Low's impact players
• Heather Dinich: Bowling for the best gifts
BCS Selection Sunday
• Pat Forde: The grateful duo
• Ivan Maisel: Tigers, Bucks survive, advance
• Gene Wojciechowski: Theater of the absurd
More Bowl Coverage
• BCS: Rose | Sugar | Fiesta | Orange
• BCS National Championship Game
• Bowl Overview | Bowl Schedule | Bowl Index
