David Crenshaw / AP

Running back Allen Patrick and Oklahoma could make a case for a split national title if they rout West Virginia and LSU barely wins, Matt Hayes of the Sporting News writes.

Georgia
AP No. 4, BCS No. 5
The split title: Many SEC coaches believe Georgia is the league's best team. Any other time, woulda, coulda, shoulda gets you a nice pat on the head. This season, it could translate to a split national title if LSU wins ugly, Oklahoma loses or wins an ugly game and the Dawgs rout Hawaii in the Sugar Bowl.

Georgia already has a legit beef: LSU jumped the Bulldogs in the final BCS poll because ... why? The conference championship shouldn't have held so much weight — just ask Nebraska (2001) and Oklahoma (2003). Neither the '01 Cornhuskers nor the '03 Sooners were Big 12 champs, but both reached the BCS title game.

The drawback: Can a team that didn't even win its division win the national title? Another problem: Georgia's most glaring defeat — a 35-14 loss to Tennessee — looked even worse after LSU beat the Vols in the SEC championship game.

Virginia Tech
AP No. 5, BCS No. 3
The split title: Ladies and gentlemen, we give you Ohio State Light. How did the Hokies get here? Good question. It will take the bowl season of a lifetime for Virginia Tech to win it all — or at least part of it all: Hawaii over Georgia, West Virginia over Oklahoma, Illinois over USC in the Rose Bowl and a huge Hokies victory over Kansas in the Orange Bowl. And — and — the worst game ever between Ohio State and LSU.

The drawback: No one with a glimmer of hope has less of a chance to win it all. Even if LSU beats Ohio State in an awful game, the Tigers beat Virginia Tech by 41 in September.

USC
AP No. 6, BCS No. 7
The split title: It's all about name recognition.

USC has been the nation's best team this decade, and now the Trojans are hot after stumbling midway through the season. The scenario: LSU wins ugly, Oklahoma and Georgia lose and USC hangs a number on the team that beat Ohio State.

The drawback: In this season of key quarterback injuries, none had more impact than the broken finger John David Booty suffered in the Stanford game: The Trojans lost that day. They lost to Stanford! It's asking too much to overlook that game, which ranks far and away as the worst loss by any of the contenders.

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