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NEW ORLEANS -- At the time, fate dealt what seemed like a cruel blow to linebacker Dont'a Hightower four games into Alabama’s 2009 national championship season.

He tore both the anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments in his left knee, not to mention suffering meniscus damage, and was done for the season.

“A lot of guys don’t bounce back from reconstructive knee surgery and return to be the player they used to be,” Hightower said. “I knew I had that working against me.”

Hightower worked feverishly to rehabilitate his knee and made it back quicker than anybody could have imagined. He was back on the field in time for spring practice in 2010 and played the entire season, although he admits now that he was only a glimmer in 2010 of the player he was before the injury.

“Just in being able to move, I couldn’t do the things I wanted to,” Hightower said of his 2010 season. “One of the strengths of my game is being able to diagnose running plays and play-action passes. It doesn’t do much for you, though, if my mind can read the play, but my legs can’t get me there in time to make the play.”

As frustrating as that whole process was for Hightower, he looks back and says it might have been a blessing in disguise.

Had he not been injured in 2009, he’d probably be playing in the NFL right now and not getting ready for LSU on Monday in the Allstate BCS National Championship Game.

“I was there with the team in 2009, but I didn’t get to play in the game,” Hightower said. “So this one means a lot more to me. I get a chance to be out there with my teammates and a chance to win a second championship.”

Even more importantly, hanging around an extra year also gave Hightower a chance to fulfill a promise he made to his late grandfather, John Hightower.

Upon signing with Alabama, Hightower promised his grandfather that he would be the first member of the family to graduate from college.

Sadly, Hightower’s grandfather passed away before he ever had a chance to see Hightower play in a game at Alabama.

“I promised him I would graduate,” Hightower said. “I sat back (after the 2010 season) and realized that I didn’t have the season I wanted to have and also had the opportunity to come back and graduate and go out with another national championship.

“I just set my mind to it, that I was going to go out there and finish the rest of my dream.”

Sure enough, Hightower graduated in December, and to do so, he took 19 hours last semester, which is unheard of for a football player.

“That’s a lot, definitely the hardest semester I’ve ever had,” Hightower said. “But it was worth it.”

There again, had he not gone down with the knee injury, he probably wouldn’t have been around to take those 19 hours last semester, and at the very least, would have had to delay finishing school.

“God works in mysterious ways,” said Hightower, who leads Alabama this season with 81 total tackles. “My mom and everybody around me kept telling me that everything happens for a reason, and I’m going to take what God has given me and come out on top.”

It’s already been a memorable season for the 6-foot-4, 260-pound Hightower, who was a consensus first-team All-America selection and finalist for several national defensive awards.

Plus, when he watches himself on tape now, Hightower says with conviction that he looks like his old self. In fact, he said it’s the strongest and fastest he’s felt going into Monday’s showdown with LSU.

“I was watching film of last year’s LSU game, and there were about seven or eight plays that I would have made this year that I didn’t make last year,” said Hightower, who handles all of the play calls and checks for the Crimson Tide on defense. “More than anything, it’s just my explosiveness. I have it back now.”

Hightower isn’t the only Alabama player who will have a shot at a second national championship “thanks” to an injury.

Senior safety Mark Barron said he was all but gone last season before suffering a torn right pectoral muscle in the regular-season finale against Auburn.

“I felt at the time I made the right decision, and getting a chance at a second national championship only makes me feel that much better about my decision,” said Barron, who also earned consensus first-team All-America honors this season. “Now we’ve got to finish this thing off.”

Hightower said he and Barron reminded each other recently how it was meant to be for both of them this season.

“It might have been different if we hadn’t gotten hurt,” Hightower said. “But we did, and we both fought back. I can promise you’ll we both be ready come [Monday], too.”

LSU safety Brandon Taylor talks about facing Alabama in the Allstate BCS National Championship Game and playing in New Orleans.

NEW ORLEANS -- LSU’s football team received the ultimate welcome to the Big Easy on Wednesday.

Friends and fans stopped to wave at the Tigers’ caravan that made the 80-mile trip from Baton Rouge, La., to New Orleans, a helicopter followed the Tigers’ every move, and there was a parade-like atmosphere waiting for LSU at the team’s hotel.

An avalanche of support rained down on the Tigers, as fans at the Hilton Riverside in downtown New Orleans waited an extra hour to see their Tigers after one of the team’s buses suffered mechanical issues on the way in.

“How kind. How sweet. How wonderful,” LSU coach Les Miles said of the support shown from the Tigers’ fans.

The LSU band struck up some tunes about 30 minutes before the Tigers reached Bourbon Street, and the cheers lasted well into LSU’s news conference.

“You think this is going to subside, but in reality, this continues for the week,” Miles said.

And he’s right.

The Tigers might reside in Baton Rouge, but they can easily call New Orleans home as well.

The New Orleans Saints might be No. 1 in the hearts of this community, but LSU figures to be a very close second. This team served as another symbol of prosperity after Hurricane Katrina, and people here have really embraced the purple-and-gold.

“The attachment to this city is one that this team really feels,” Miles said.

Alabama should have a massive amount of fans in town to help fill up the Mercedes-Benz Superdome for Monday's Allstate BCS National Championship Game, but it’s hard to believe they’ll outnumber the Tigers faithful. It won’t help that the Saints will get things started with a playoff game against the Detroit Lions in the Superdome on Saturday night.

Expect Who Dat Nation to grow some extra tiger stripes for Monday.

“We got the whole state behind us, and a lot of people love LSU down here,” senior safety Brandon Taylor said. “Actually, the Saints are home too, so that’s going to make it that much more fun.”

While Mardi Gras seemed to happening during the Tigers’ trip, the inside of LSU’s buses were mostly silent. There was celebration outside, but focus inside.

For the Tigers, Monday is too far away for this team to start yapping, and there’s no reason to celebrate, yet.

“It’s a business trip,” sophomore safety Eric Reid said. “It’s fun to be here, but it’s not going to be fun if you don’t win it when it’s all said and done. We’re going to stay focused and make sure we get the win.”

This is something the Tigers wanted at the beginning of the season. Better yet, they all say they envisioned it.

It’s time to see if there’s any mojo left in this group.

“We’re here now,” Taylor said. “We just have to put the icing on the cake.”

Defensive back Mark Barron discusses the week ahead for Alabama as the team arrives in New Orleans.

NEW ORLEANS -- Alabama’s football team arrived Wednesday in the Big Easy with cameras snapping their every move at the airport and a jazz band playing in the background.

It was very much a circus atmosphere.

But the players insisted that this week was all about business.

“I’m shaky right now talking about this, just getting off the plane,” Alabama junior running back Trent Richardson said. “I couldn’t even sleep on the plane. I’m ready for this game. I’ve been waiting for this game for the longest. We made it here, and we’re going to make sure we try to finish this thing off right.”

Junior linebacker Dont’a Hightower said the players would open with a curfew that was somewhere in the midnight to 1 a.m. range, which will undoubtedly get earlier as Monday night’s game approaches.

Hightower said violators would be sent home, even if they’re a minute late.

The lure of Bourbon Street is strong for college kids, and you’ve got the added dynamic of this place crawling right now with both Alabama and LSU fans.

When the players do go out, they’re going to be swarmed.

Richardson doesn’t expect any issues.

“You’ve got to make sure you don’t run into the wrong things and don’t get in any trouble,” Richardson said. “We’ve got a pretty good team. Everybody has their head on right. Ain’t nobody going to look for any trouble. It’s strictly business for us, and that’s to get a ‘W’ on Monday.”

Senior safety Mark Barron, who suffered an injury to his ribs in the regular-season finale against Auburn, said he’s back to 100 percent and that the injury won’t be an issue in this game. He had been limited in past practices.

“They’re not bothering me anymore. I’m good to go,” Barron said.

One of the themes that Alabama's players have repeated ever since that 9-6 overtime loss to LSU back on Nov. 5 is doing the little things right.

“We didn’t pay attention to detail like we should have,” Barron said. “We have to make sure we capitalize on our opportunities in this game.”

Alabama offensive coordinator Jim McElwain and several of the Crimson Tide's offensive players will meet with the media on Thursday morning. The Crimson Tide will then practice at the Superdome on Thursday afternoon.

Chris Low wonders which team, LSU or Alabama, was better served by the extra preparation time.

All it took was a little screen time for Nick Saban to officially say goodbye to LSU.

With his Alabama team surrounding him inside a movie theater and the popular movie "The Blind Side" playing, Crimson Tide players hooted, hollered and laughed when Saban appeared on screen, dressed as his former LSU self.

Saban played the old him, who recruited future Ole Miss star offensive lineman Michael Oher to LSU. The problem was that Saban was a few years removed from his LSU days and was coaching Alabama.

He was so uneasy about how his new players might react to his acting debut in the wrong colors that he asked Alabama’s leadership group whether it was OK for him to do the cameo.

Without hesitation, his players allowed it, but only if they could poke a little fun at his expense.

Senior center William Vlachos said he and his teammates razzed the very matter-of-fact coach, letting him know that acting wasn’t his thing, but they also informed them this was his new team and he could put his LSU thoughts behind him.

“If that had bothered us, he wouldn’t have done it,” Vlachos said. “His heart is with us.”

And Saban makes sure people know that. He sidesteps most questions dealing with him and LSU, and it’s pretty much a nonissue in Tuscaloosa.

The Saban-LSU storyline has been beaten to death, and even with Saban now facing his former school in the national championship, few have taken much time to pick his brain about the situation he’ll be in.

But it will be hard for Saban not to take a peek at the past when his second-ranked Crimson Tide (11-1, 7-1) take on No. 1 LSU (13-0, 8-0) in the Allstate BCS National Championship Game on Monday night.

He can’t ignore the monster he helped create in Baton Rouge, La. Before Saban got his hands on LSU, the Tigers were a mere afterthought in the SEC.

LSU had suffered through two straight losing season under previous coach Gerry DiNardo and had recorded seven losing seasons in the 1990s.

Saban swooped in and conducted a complete transformation. His first objective was to instill more discipline within the program and hammer home academics. He led the way for a $15 million fundraising effort for a new academic center for LSU student-athletes and made sure he and his players were tremendously active in the community.

Facilities were upgraded; a new attitude was created; and LSU quickly became a true force in the SEC. Saban won 48 games in his five-year stint with the Tigers that included a national championship (2003), two SEC championships, three SEC Western Division championships and three bowl wins, including two Sugar Bowl victories.

To get those wins, Saban also became a bulldog in recruiting. For years, LSU had struggled to keep top Louisiana prospects in state. In the 1990s, Baton Rouge athletes Warrick Dunn and Travis Minor left to become stars at Florida State, and New Orleans high school stars Reggie Wayne and Ed Reed left and eventually became key components of Miami’s 2001 national championship squad.

But with Saban camped out in Cajun country, those kinds of players rarely stepped away from LSU’s campus.

“It didn't happen overnight, but Nick Saban turned LSU into a recruiting powerhouse by gradually winning over the state's top prospects,” ESPN recruiting analyst Corey Long said.

Saban’s 2001 SEC championship team made a real breakthrough for the program, but Long said that his 2003 recruiting class served as a major breakthrough for LSU recruiting.

Saban was able to keep most of Louisiana’s top high school prospects in state, including running backs Alley Broussard and Justin Vincent and athlete LaRon Landry. Quarterbacks JaMarcus Russell and Matt Flynn were a part of that class, as was Miami-area wide receiver Dwayne Bowe.

Saban controlled Louisiana, snagged recruits from other schools’ comfort zones and even developed a knack for finding underrated talent, such as running back Jacob Hester.

Now, LSU is a winning and recruiting machine. Miles has picked up beautifully from where Saban left off, but he certainly owes a little of his own success to Saban’s work. Miles hasn’t relinquished LSU’s stranglehold on the state of Louisiana and prides himself on building his team off of local talent.

“Before Saban arrived at LSU, the talent in Louisiana was a virtual grab bag for the top programs in surrounding states,” Long said. “These days, it's rare that a top player in the state goes anywhere but Baton Rouge.”

On Monday, Saban will meet the beast he created years ago. He doesn’t like to pump his LSU ties, but this one is different.

This one is for all the sugar, and once Saban sets foot on the Superdome field and stares at that purple-and-gold monster, he’ll have to take some pride in his work that helped create LSU’s masterpiece.

It came as no surprise to Alabama’s players that Jim McElwain wouldn’t be back in 2012.

With what he had done in his four seasons as the Crimson Tide’s offensive coordinator, it only made sense that some school would lure him away.

That school was Colorado State.

What also didn’t surprise Alabama’s players was that McElwain decided to coach the Tide through next week’s Allstate BCS national Championship Game. Since his arrival, McElwain has always supported his players, and there was no reason to stop now.

Players admit he’s had plenty of opportunities to take the heat off of himself and blame them for mistakes, but hasn’t. He’s only tried to encourage.

“He’s the captain of the offensive ship and he’s our leader,” senior center William Vlachos said.

“He’s got our backs and it’s always about us. He’s there for us and we really appreciate that.”

Added junior tackle Barrett Jones: “That’s the kind of guy Coach Mac is. He’s the kind of guy that, no matter what, always has our backs. That’s why we love him, because he’s never going to throw us under the bus. If anything happens, it’s always his fault first, and that kind of thing. Not that it actually is his fault. That’s just what he would say.”

Players have dumped praise onto McElwain since his exit was announced, but the outside perspective hasn’t always been great. Opinions have ranged from Alabama’s offense is too stale to it can getting too one-dimensional.

McElwain’s Alabama offenses have never really been tremendously flashy, but they also haven’t cost the Tide many games in the last four years.

• Alabama leads the nation by committing only 57 turnovers since the 2008 season.
• Since his arrival, the offense has averaged 59.6 more yards per game and bettered its scoring by 8.9 points per contest.
• Quarterback Greg McElroy set single-season passing records in 2010 with a 70.9 completion percentage, 20 touchdown passes and 2,987 yards, and the offense averaged more yards from scrimmage (435.6 per game) than all but one team in school history (480.7 in 1973).
• He had two Heisman finalists in running backs Mark Ingram, who won it in 2009, and Trent Richardson this season.
• Alabama enters the national title game against LSU with the SEC’s No. 1 rushing offense (219.8) and the No. 2 overall offense (433.4).

So, maybe that criticism is a little undeserved.

“He comes up with some great stuff every week,” Vlachos said. “His play calling has been exceptional since he’s been here and it’s really been strong.

“If that means running the inside zone with Trent every play, if that’s what’s going to work, then that’s what we’re going to do, even if that doesn’t draw the national attention.”

Alabama isn’t just losing a pretty good coach but Vlachos said it’s losing a pretty good person. McElwain has become more than just a coach to a lot of players. He can coach with some powerful intensity at times, but Vlachos said he’s still someone he plans to crack a beer or two open with in the future and chat about things other than football.

That’s one of the many reasons why these players are proud to see McElwain take this next step. That’s why there are no ill feelings toward him. McElwain had every opportunity to audition for coaching jobs and impress college presidents, but he always put Alabama first.

Now, his players are looking to put him first.

“He told us we put him in that position to have that opportunity,” senior wide receiver Brandon Gibson said. “Actually, he gave back to us so hopefully we're going to send him off hopefully with another national championship.”

Quietly, some respect will be paid to the Big Ten gods when Alabama and LSU meet in the Allstate BCS National Champion Game.

Even with two SEC schools playing, the conference hovering above it on a map should get some sort of credit for molding the game's coaches.

It was there where future hall of fame coaches Nick Saban and Les Miles really got their starts. Miles was a two-year letter winner at Michigan before coaching there for 10 years, while Saban spent 10 years on Michigan State’s staff (five as an assistant and five as the head coach).

“I was fortunate to be at one of the premier schools in that conference as a player with one of the great coaches in college football and I was fortunate to coach with a very talented staff and be a part of great teams,” Miles said.

Miles doesn’t let peripheral things affect him, but remind him of his Michigan days as a player, and the comedy ensues. He roasts himself and his playing ability better than any standup comedian could.

Get him going about his days as a Michigan coach, and things are a little different. More respect rolls off of his tongue when he talks about coaching with the legendary Bo Schembechler, after playing under him.

With Schembechler as his coach, he was a part of two top-10 teams as a letter-winner from 1974-75. While working with him from 1980-81, Michigan won 19 games, a Big Ten championship and played in the Rose Bowl. After returning in 1987, Miles enjoyed eight years that featured 71 wins and four trips to the Rose Bowl.

Saban spent 1983-87 as Michigan State’s defensive coordinator/secondary coach, but really made his mark as the Spartans’ head coach, leading them to four bowl births in his five years. Before his arrival, Michigan State had missed four straight bowl games.

Now, the two are terrorizing the nation from inside the conference to which the Big Ten is most often compared. Naturally, changes had to be made by both in order to adjust to life in the nation’s toughest conference.

Temple coach Steve Addazio, who spent three years at Indiana before his six-year stint as an offensive coach at Florida, said adjusting to the SEC wasn’t easy. He was used to seeing premier players in the Big Ten, but was not used to the SEC speed, especially on defense.

“The SEC’s a faster game and the defenses in the SEC are traditionally incredible,” Addazio said. “It’s the toughest defensive conference, in my opinion, in college football.

“So many first-round draft picks that you’re playing against each week.”

When he arrived in Gainesville, Fla., with Urban Meyer in 2005, Florida’s offensive coaches found it extremely difficult to keep their old schemes against faster, more menacing SEC defenses.

The read option, a staple in a spread offense, was ineffective. Chris Leak, who wasn’t a dual-threat quarterback, was forced to keep the ball, instead of giving it to the running back, because defenders were closing too fast. With Leak taking the ball, defenders chased him down with ease.

By the Georgia game in October, Florida was worn out and an offensive meeting was called at Meyer’s house. Soon after, Florida evolved, becoming more of a two-back, gap scheme, power-counter offense. It helped fight the defensive speed and opened up the read option.

Addazio said Florida’s offense didn’t really look right until 2007, despite winning the 2006 national championship with an attack that used spread and pro-style tendencies.

For Miles and Saban, they went straight for defense. The thing that had frustrated Florida was a strength for the two, and both took just three years to win the national championship, both coming at LSU.

Both also had to develop a much more aggressive recruiting identity. Addazio, who has coached around the country, said recruiting was much more competitive in the SEC and keeping up meant getting more aggressive and staying ahead aesthetically when it came to facilities.

Naturally, recruiting was more competitive, but Addazio stresses that the most important factor in making the transition to the SEC is learning to constantly adapt. Players are always getting bigger, faster and smarter on the field. In some conferences, Addazio said, coaches can get “lulled to sleep” because change isn’t as rapid.

Things that work tend to for a while, but not in the SEC. Your foundation might come elsewhere, but your true coaching skills are developed when you face constant adversity … and survive.

“Whatever blemishes, problems or issues are going to surface in [the SEC],” Addazio said. “In that conference, you can’t hide things. It’s going to show through because the talent level is so high.

“You watch some other conferences and those offenses are just lighting points up and then they play a real SEC team in a real meaningful game and that doesn’t happen.”

Nothing against the Granddaddy of Them All, or the Runners-Up Bowl (No. 3 Oklahoma State vs. No. 4 Stanford in the Tostitos Fiesta), or Tuesday night's Boise State-Got-Hosed Allstate Sugar Bowl, but they're football finger food, nothing else.

Be honest: If bowl season were like going to a movie, Monday evening's Allstate BCS National Championship would be the mega-hit "Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol'' and the other 34 games would be the reminder to turn off your cell phones.

It’s a phrase you’re going to hear often over the next week as we get closer to Monday night’s Allstate BCS National Championship Game.

Chasing history.

If LSU wins Round 2 over Alabama and effectively sweeps the Crimson Tide, where do these Tigers rank among the best college football teams of all time?

For starters, they would have to be considered among the most worthy national champions of all time.

Already, the Tigers have eight wins over nationally ranked foes. Since the advent of The Associated Press Top 25 poll in 1937, no national champion has recorded eight wins over ranked foes.

And with a win over Alabama, LSU could make it nine conquests over nationally ranked foes.

“We want to be remembered as the best ever, here at LSU and maybe even in college football,” LSU senior offensive guard Will Blackwell said. “I don’t think it’s fair that we have to beat Alabama again to win the national championship, but that’s the way it’s set up. That’s the system we’re in.

“We have to go through them a second time to get where we want to get, and then, there shouldn’t be any questions.”

The only team to come within single digits of LSU (13-0) this season was Alabama in the 9-6 overtime game back on Nov. 5. If you eliminate that game, the Tigers have beaten their other 12 opponents by an average margin of 30 points.

Not only that, but LSU owns seven double-digit victories over nationally ranked teams and has scored 40 or more points against six ranked clubs.

For perspective, the most double-digit wins over ranked opponents by a team that went on to win the national championship in the AP poll era is six, which Florida accomplished in 2008.

So, in short, it’s difficult to imagine a more impressive résumé than what LSU would put together if the Tigers finish this season with a 14-0 record, beating Alabama two times along the way.

Not just any Alabama team, either, but an Alabama team that boasts a defense that’s being compared to some of the best in that program’s storied history.

The Crimson Tide are ranked No. 1 nationally in all four of the major statistical categories defensively -- total defense, scoring defense, rushing defense and passing defense -- and the last team to do that was Oklahoma in 1986.

Plus, a win over Alabama would give LSU a fourth win over a top-5 team. The Tigers have already beaten Oregon, Arkansas and Alabama, and two of those wins came away from home.

Even though the title game is in New Orleans, that’s still not a home game, which means LSU has a chance to win three of its four games against top-5 opponents away from home.

Only one national champion in history, Notre Dame in 1943, has beaten four opponents ranked in the top 5 of the AP poll.

But that 1943 Notre Dame team also lost a game en route to winning the national title.

The 2000 Oklahoma national championship team and 1988 Notre Dame national championship team both won three games over top-5 opponents, and both the Sooners and Irish finished unbeaten.

At least in modern times, both of those teams are also considered among the strongest national champions ever.

In the BCS era, it’s difficult to top that 2001 Miami team, although the 2004 USC team, the 1999 Florida State team and each of the last three national champions from the SEC -- Auburn last season, Alabama in 2009 and Florida in 2008 -- may all beg to differ.

In the realm of the SEC, you can also add the 1979 Alabama team, 1980 Georgia team, 1992 Alabama team, 1996 Florida team and 1998 Tennessee team when ranking the best national champions from this league over the past 40 years.

Where the Tigers would fit in remains to be seen, but it’s clear that simply winning a national title isn’t enough for this team.

“We want to do something that hasn’t been done, something we’ll always be remembered for,” LSU junior receiver Russell Shepard said. “We’ve dealt with everything that has come our way this season.

“We know what’s at stake.”

LSU passed with flying colors during the regular season, so it's no wonder the Tigers are a win away from taking home the national title.

OFFENSE: B

When LSU wasn't throwing the ball, the Tigers were nearly impossible to stop. LSU's multi-headed rushing monster combined for 215.2 yards per game, including a league-high 35 rushing touchdowns. Against SEC opponents, LSU was even better, leading the conference with 220.4 rushing yards per contest. Sophomore Michael Ford led LSU with 755 yards and seven touchdowns. Spencer Ware, Kenny Hilliard and Alfred Blue added another 1,559 rushing yards and 23 touchdowns. Passing was another story for LSU. The Tigers started by losing offensive coordinator Steve Kragthorpe, who became quarterbacks coach after being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. LSU then lost starting quarterback Jordan Jefferson for the first four games to a suspension that stemmed from a bar fight. But Jarrett Lee stepped right in and led this team. He was never flashy, but he was incredibly efficient. He lost his starting job after the Alabama game, but finished the year with 1,306 yards, 14 touchdowns and three interceptions. Jefferson took his job back late, and while he looked completely overwhelmed at times, he threw just one interception and six touchdowns. He also didn't lose a game. Despite an average passing game, LSU led the SEC in scoring (38.5) and was fifth in total offense (375.3).

DEFENSE: A+

LSU might have entered the season with a handful of defensive youngsters, but the Tigers never let it become an issue. LSU was fantastic on defense, finishing the regular season second nationally in total defense, allowing 252.1 yards per game and giving up just 3.96 yards per play and 14 offensive touchdowns. Defensive coordinator John Chavis really earned his pay check down in Baton Rouge. LSU was not only fierce but the Tigers were disciplined. Up front, LSU caused major headaches by overpowering offensive lines. With players like Sam Montgomery, Barkevious Mingo, Michael Brockers and Bennie Logan owning the trenches, LSU finished the regular season with 98 tackles for loss, including a league-high 37 sacks. Opponents also rushed for 85.5 yards per game. LSU led the SEC with 30 takeaways, including getting 18 interceptions. That was helped by arguably the nation's best secondary. First, you had do-everything cornerback -- and Chuck Bednarik winner -- in Tyrann Mathieu, who grabbed seven takeaways and forced six fumbles. Then there was Jim Thrope Award winner Morris Claiborne, who was the nation's best cover corner and snatched six interceptions and defended 12 passes.

SPECIAL TEAMS: A

Not only did LSU lead the SEC in net punting average (41.6) and allow just six return yards but Mathieu led the league with 420 punt return yards. He also had two touchdowns, both coming in the last two weeks, and tied for first in the SEC averaging 16.2 yards per return. Punter Brad Wing might have been the league's most accurate punter, planting 23 inside the 20-yard line and launching 18 that went for more than 50 yards, including that 73-yard beauty against Alabama. He also had a touchdown run called back for taunting. LSU also got a kickoff returned for a touchdown by Claiborne, who averaged 26.1 yards per return. LSU led the SEC in field goal percentage (.889) after hitting 16-of-18. In kickoff coverage, the Tigers struggled at times, ranking seventh in the league with a net average of 44.1 yards.

COACHING: A

If not for the passing issues against better defenses, LSU probably would have gotten an A+ here. Coach Les Miles had to deal with a handful of issues before and throughout this special season. The Associated Press' coach of the year saw his offensive coordinator step down and had to deal with a handful of off-the-field issues that led to suspensions. Still, he was able to lead LSU to its first 13-0 season, with 12 coming by double digits and seven by 30 or more points. The Tigers also beat eight ranked opponents, with seven of them coming by double digits. He kept order when Jefferson returned and is a win away from his second national title at LSU. Then you have Chavis, who did a masterful job with LSU's young defense. It was hard to find a faster, more athletic defense around, as LSU allowed 20-plus points just twice during the regular season.

It's time to go "Next Level" with some of the bowl games involving SEC teams.

The good people at ESPN Stats & Information have come up with more extra interesting stats for a few bowl games involving the SEC.

Stats & Info checked out the Chick-fil-A Bowl, the Outback Bowl, the Capital One Bowl, the Taxslayer.com Gator Bowl, the AT&T Cotton Bowl and the Allstate BCS National Championship Game. We don't want to overload you with info, so we'll start with the Chick-fil-A Bowl, the Outback Bowl and the Capital One Bowl.

There are some interesting notes in here, so take a look:

Chick-fil-A Bowl -- Virginia vs. No. 25 Auburn

• Clint Moseley has been an upgrade on long passes since taking over as Auburn’s starting quarterback. Moseley has completed more than 50 percent of his throws of 15-plus yards in three of five games against SEC opponents this season. Neither Barrett Trotter nor Kiehl Frazier accomplished this feat once against SEC opponents.
• Auburn has not rushed for 300 yards in a game this season, after having eight such games last season. The Tigers have 16 rushing touchdowns this season and 12 rushes of 20 yards or longer. It only took 11 games last season for Cam Newton to surpass those totals by himself.
• Auburn’s lack of a running game has hurt its play-action passing game. The Tigers have not thrown for more than 76 yards off play-action against an AQ opponent (nine games) this season. Last season, the Tigers threw for at least 100 yards off a run fake in three of its final four games, including 234 in the BCS Championship Game.
• Virginia has held its opponents to no gain or a loss on 39.9 percent of its plays this season, second best in the ACC and sixth best in FBS. The Cavaliers have been even better in their last four games, holding opponents to no yards or less on 43.8 percent of their plays.

Outback Bowl –- No. 17 Michigan State vs. No. 16 Georgia

• Isaiah Crowell was limited to 6 yards on seven carries inside the tackles against LSU in the SEC championship game. It was his fewest yards and lowest average inside the tackles. Crowell entered the game average 60.5 yards and 4.7 yards per carry on the same run.
• If Georgia is unable to run the ball, it could make the Bulldogs predictable on first down. Aaron Murray leads the SEC and is tied for fourth nationally with 17 touchdown passes on first down this season.
• B.J. Cunningham has emerged as Kirk Cousins’ big-play threat. Cunningham has five of the team’s six receiving touchdowns on passes thrown 20 yards or longer this season, including one in each of the Spartans’ last four games.
• Georgia and Michigan State’s defenses are both ranked in the top six of FBS in yards per game and yards per play this season. The Bulldogs and Spartans have both forced 106 negative plays, which is the fifth most in FBS.

Capital One Bowl –- No. 20 Nebraska vs. No. 9 South Carolina

• Nebraska quarterback Taylor Martinez completes 40.8 percent of his throws of 15-plus yards for his career against AQ opponents. Nebraska is 7-0 against AQ opponents when Martinez completes at least 50 percent of these passes, including the win in its last game against Iowa.
• Nebraska leads the FBS with 17 rushing touchdowns of 40 yards or longer since the start of the 2010 season. The Cornhuskers are 9-1 when they have one such run with the only loss coming in the 2010 Big 12 championship game to Oklahoma.
• Connor Shaw completed 7 of 12 passes for 110 yards and two touchdowns when Clemson sent five or more pass-rushers on a play. It was Shaw’s seventh straight game where he completed at least 58 percent of his passes against the blitz this season. The Gamecocks were 6-1 in those games with the only loss coming to Arkansas.
• Shaw has been more productive at home, averaging 107 more passing yards per game at home than on the road in the games that he started. One reason for Shaw’s increased success in Columbia is the accuracy of his deep ball.
• South Carolina has only given up 112 plays of 10 or more yards this season, second fewest in FBS. In their last game, the Gamecocks held Clemson to a season-low eight such plays, including just four pass plays.
• South Carolina has 10 plays of 20 yards or more in its four games against FBS opponents since Marcus Lattimore got hurt against Mississippi State. It’s tied for the third fewest such plays during that time period (from Oct. 16 on).

We know the players everyone will being watching when SEC teams start postseason play.

You have Jordan Jefferson. Everyone wants to see Trent Richardson. People want to know how John Brantley really ends things as a Gator.

But there are a few other players to keep an eye on as well during the heart of bowl season. Here's a look at a player from each SEC participant that we can't forget about this time of year:

ALABAMA

WR Marquis Maze: Alabama didn't generate much of a passing game last time it met LSU's defense, but it'll have to this time around and Maze could be a major player here. He was seventh in the SEC in receiving and caught a game-high six passes during the first game, but also had that devastating interception on a trick play. He's no doubt looking to redeem himself in the national championship.

ARKANSAS

DE Tenarius Wright: The Cotton Bowl figures to be a high-scoring affair with these two offenses going at it. But the best way to stop an offensive train is to get a lot of pressure in the backfield. That's where Wright comes into play. Jake Bequette will be manning one side, with Wright on the other. Wright has been hampered by a broken arm this year, but is all healed up and if he can apply some pressure to Kansas State's backfield it should slow down the Wildcats.

AUBURN

RB Tre Mason: The Tigers lost their best offensive weapon for the Chick-fil-A Bowl when running back Michael Dyer was suspended. Mason will now have the opportunity to help Onterio McCalebb and should get a bunch of carries against a Virginia team that possesses a pretty good run defense. Mason has that big-back mentality and should complement McCalebb well.

FLORIDA

WR Deonte Thompson: This is Thompson's last game in a Florida uniform. With Florida looking for one last offensive spark this season, maybe Thompson can provide that. Thompson caught just 19 passes during the regular season, but he has tremendous speed and has the ability to make one or two last plays for the Gators against Ohio State in the Gator Bowl.

GEORGIA

TE Aron White: He's a player who can sneak up on defenses. With fellow tight end Orson Charles and receiver Malcolm Mitchell getting most of the attention in Georgia's passing game, White can slip right by and make a big play. Michigan State's defense is tough and talented, but it can't forget about someone who had four touchdowns on nine total catches.

LSU

RB Spencer Ware: He's fallen under the radar since his midseason suspension. Running backs designated as backups have had more of an impact for the Tigers in recent weeks, but Ware is still a bruiser and he'll still need to show up against the Crimson Tide. For LSU to pound the ball against Alabama, it will need all of the components of that talented backfield and we could see the Ware of old in New Orleans.

MISSISSIPPI STATE

CB Corey Broomfield: It's been a relatively quiet year for Broomfield. He's recorded a good bit of tackles, but has yet to snag an interception. What a perfect time to come alive for the Bulldogs. There has been more bend in Mississippi State's secondary than most expected this year, but there is still a lot of talent back there. Broomfield has the ability to be a game changer and his coverage skills could be an issue for Wake Forest in the Music City Bowl.

SOUTH CAROLINA

RB Brandon Wilds: He surprised most of us with the way he played after Marcus Lattimore went down. He's certainly not as talented as Lattimore, but he works hard and he has become a major component to the Gamecocks' offense. For this offense to get going against Nebraska in the Capital One Bowl, Wilds needs to continue to play with that bulldog-like mentality between the tackles.

VANDERBILT

WR Chris Boyd: The Commodores have a pretty good group of offensive playmakers, but Boyd could end up being really special. As a freshman, he leads Vandy with seven touchdown receptions. Cincinnati will likely key in on running back Zac Stacy and top receiver Jordan Matthews, meaning Boyd could have a big day. The Bearcats will have to monitor both Boyd and Matthews during the Liberty Bowl, which won't be easy.

Alabama players really didn’t have the layoff they expected.

With the SEC championship game out of reach, the Crimson Tide didn’t expect to hit the grind so early.

But that’s exactly what happened. The Tide started conditioning and training immediately after the Auburn game, senior center William Vlachos said.

“We haven’t really stopped,” Vlachos said. “Usually, we take a week off and we run a little bit, and then a little bit more, but we jumped right into it. We’re all in good shape right now.”

With the extra-long break before the Allstate BCS National Championship Game against No. 1 LSU (13-0, 8-0), Vlachos said conditioning has been turned up. There hasn’t been much down time for this team, and he thinks it’s a good thing because it should have this team more than ready for the Tigers in a couple of weeks.

But Vlachos said coach Nick Saban won’t make things too monotonous. He doesn’t want to over train and he won’t let this team get bored. In the past Vlachos said Saban would use every last ounce of the allotted practices and practice time leading up to the bowl game to pound the game plan into each and every player.

While that system has kept the Tide winning in the postseason, including a national championship in 2009, Saban doesn’t want to go overboard this time. He doesn’t want to wear out his team before what should be the most physical game of the year.

With LSU playing in the SEC championship game, the Tide has had a week more to train and stay out of game mode. But even with practice contact not quite being game contact, like the Tigers endured, Vlachos said that shouldn’t be much of an advantage. Both teams are too evenly matched for that, Vlachos said.

Vlachos does expect the more game-specific practices to be different from years past because Alabama really knows its opponent. This isn’t Texas or Michigan State, two teams the Crimson Tide had to meticulously watch every single regular-season game on just to gauge what type of teams they were. This is a conference foe.

It’s a team Alabama is more than familiar with and more than upset with. The Tigers ended Alabama’s hopes at an undefeated season. This is a team that won in Tuscaloosa and was better by a field goal.

While Vlachos has immense respect for the Tigers, he also believes the Tide did not execute at times that November loss.

“We moved the ball well between the 30 and the 30, but that’s not going to put points on the board,” Vlachos said. “The bottom line with that LSU defense is it’s great. There’s really not a weakness on that defense. But when you watch that game, it was about what we did in particular -- finishing blocks here, getting a couple of inches here, coming down with the pass near the end zone and not letting it get taken away from you. Just the little tiny stuff and that game’s a different ball game.”