Alabama-LSU 2012 BCS National Championship lives on through NFL Draft

 

By Andrew Gribble

 

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama -- The game, at least to those outside of the Alabama fan base, was viewed widely as a clunker. 

Only one conference was represented. The TV ratings were low. There was only one touchdown and it came with less than five minutes to play in the fourth quarter.

Yet the 2012 BCS Championship showdown of Alabama and LSU has lived on and on and on through the NFL Draft.

Over the past three years, no teams have combined to produce more draft picks than Alabama and LSU. With another eight this past weekend, the Crimson Tide has seen 25 of its former players selected since 2012. LSU led all teams this year with nine picks, giving it 23 over the same stretch.

Nearly all of them saw some sort of playing time on that night in New Orleans, when Alabama blanked the Tigers, 21-0, on five Jeremy Shelley field goals and a touchdown run by Trent Richardson. 

The grand total grew to 43 (23 from Alabama, 20 from LSU) after this year's draft. 

Fifteen of Alabama's 22 starters have been drafted (six first-round picks) while two others -- Robert Lester and Damion Square -- were full-time members of their respective NFL teams this past season. Of the 11 LSU starters who have been drafted, five were first-round picks.

Each starting defense has seen eight of the 11 players drafted.

Twenty of the 43 drafted players were selected in the first three rounds. Fourteen were first-rounders.

The Super Bowl-champion Seattle Seahawks have drafted four of the 43. The latest was former Alabama wide receiver Kevin Norwood, who was a surprise star with four catches for 74 yards that night in the Superdome.

The Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals and Arizona Cardinals have each selected three.

All told, 25 of the NFL's 32 teams have drafted at least one player who saw the field in this game.

Here's the full breakdown.

Starters

Alabama

OL Barrett Jones: 2013, fourth round (113), St. Louis Rams

OL Chance Warmack: 2013, first round (10), Tennessee Titans

OL D.J. Fluker: 2013, first round (11), San Diego Chargers

TE Michael Williams: 2013, seventh round (211), Detroit Lions

TE Brad Smelley: 2012, seventh round (247), Cleveland Browns

QB AJ McCarron: 2014, fifth round (164), Cincinnati Bengals

RB Trent Richardson: 2012, first round (3), Cleveland Browns

DL Jesse Williams: 2013, fifth round (137), Seattle Seahawks

DL Josh Chapman: 2012, fifth round (136), Indianapolis Colts

LB Dont'a Hightower: 2012, first round (25), New England Patriots

LB Nico Johnson: 2013, fourth round (99), Kansas City Chiefs

LB Courtney Upshaw: 2012, second round (35), Baltimore Ravens

DB DeQuan Menzie: 2012, fifth round (146), Kansas City Chiefs

DB Dre Kirkpatrick: 2012, first round (17), Cincinnati Bengals

S Mark Barron: 2012, first round (7), Tampa Bay Buccaneers

LSU

WR James Wright: 2014, seventh round (239), Cincinnati Bengals

WR Rueben Randle: 2012, second round (63), New York Giants

WR Odell Beckham: 2014, first round (12), New York Giants

DL Michael Brockers: 2012, first round (14), St. Louis Rams

DL Bennie Logan: 2013, third round (67), Philadelphia Eagles

LB Barkevious Mingo: 2013, first round (6), Cleveland Browns

LB Kevin Minter: 2013, second round (45), Arizona Cardinals

CB Morris Claiborne: 2012, first round (6), Dallas Cowboys

CB Tyrann Mathieu: 2013, third round (69), Arizona Cardinals

SS Brandon Taylor: 2012, third round (73), San Diego Chargers

FS Eric Reid: 2013, first round (18), San Francisco 49ers

Reserves

Alabama

S Vinnie Sunseri: 2014, fifth round (167), New Orleans Saints

S Ha Ha Clinton-Dix: 2014, first round (21), Green Bay Packers

DL Quinton Dial: 2013, fifth round (157), San Francisco 49ers

DB Dee Milliner: 2013, first round (9), New York Jets

LB C.J. Mosley: 2014, first round (17), Baltimore Ravens

RB Eddie Lacy: 2013, second round (61), Green Bay Packers

DE Ed Stinson: 2014, fifth round (160), Arizona Cardinals

WR Kevin Norwood: 2014, fourth round (123), Seattle Seahawks

LSU

RB Alfred Blue: 2014, sixth round (181), Houston Texans

DL Ego Ferguson: 2014, second round (51), Chicago Bears

RB Spencer Ware: 2013, sixth round (194), Seattle Seahawks

DB Ron Brooks: 2012, fourth round (124), Buffalo Bills

DB Tharold Simon: 2013, fifth round (138), Seattle Seahawks

LB Lamin Barrow: 2014, fifth round (156), Denver Broncos

WR Jarvis Landry: 2014, second round (63), Miami Dolphins

DE Lavar Edwards: 2013: fifth round (142), Tennessee Titans

DE Sam Montgomery: 2013: third round (95), Houston Texans

 

 

 

Let's see now, the main gist of the sports blogs over the last month or so was that Florida had no business playing for a National Championship. It should be a team more evenly matched with Ohio State. I see what they meant now. They meant a team that Ohio State might actually give a game to. They must've known all along that the best of the Big Ten couldn't compete with the 2nd best team in the SEC, (LSU fan here) and the 41 - 14 demolition proved them out. Just goes to show how much those guys know about college football.
Goes to show also that the Heisman Trophy process has become nothing more than a popularity contest among those same writers.
Vince Lombardi said "football is a game of blocking and tackling." Something the sportswriters seem to forget when they rate and rank teams, because it was obvious that Ohio State possessed neither of these skills. Florida's lines, both offensive and defensive dominated this game, with blocking and tackling.
Were it not for an opening kickoff return that featured no less than 2 illegal blocks and 3 uncalled holds, combined with a ridiculous roughing call later on, Ohio State would have been held scoreless and to less than 100 yards total offense. Apparently Ohio State's game is good enough to go undefeated in the Big Ten, but were they to play an SEC schedule with the likes of LSU, Florida, Auburn, Tenessee, Georgia, and soon, with Nick Saban at the helm, Alabama again, they would be relegated to obscurity, a footnote to the SEC season.
If this is beginning to sound like a rant, it is. For years the SEC has had to endure the disrespect of the sportswriters as though they were some JV squads playing intramural games. The SEC was never worthy of high praise or high rankings. Look at the final polls. 2 of the 4 major polls still have Ohio State ranked no. 1, and although the AP poll has Florida in the top spot, they have Ohio State at no. 2. Well that's a load of "number two" if you ask me.
But the sportswritinistas got one thing right. Florida had no business playing Ohio State for a National Championship. Florida deserved to play a team worthy of claiming a National Title.