| 2012 Allstate BCS National Championship Game | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | January 9, 2012 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Season | 2011 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stadium | Mercedes-Benz Superdome | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | New Orleans, Louisiana | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | Offense: A. J. McCarron (QB, Alabama) Defense: Courtney Upshaw (LB, Alabama) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Favorite | Alabama by 1.5[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Referee | Scott Novak (Big 12) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Halftime show | Louisiana State University Tiger Marching Band Million Dollar Band | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 78,237 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Payout | US$21.2 million | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| United States TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Network | ESPN[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Brent Musburger (play-by-play) Kirk Herbstreit (analyst) Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi (sidelines) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nielsen ratings | 16.2 (24.2 million viewers) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 2012 BCS National Championship Game (branded as the 2012 Allstate BCS National Championship Game for sponsorship reasons) was a postseason college football bowl game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the LSU Tigers, and determined the national champion of the 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season on Monday, January 9, 2012, at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The game was part of the 2011–2012 Bowl Championship Series and a rematch of regular season foes.[3] Alabama beat LSU 21–0 to win their 14th national championship, marking the first shutout in a national championship game since the 1992 Orange Bowl and the first ever shutout in a BCS bowl game.[4][5][6] The game had the third-lowest TV rating, 14.01, in the 14-year history of the BCS National Championship game.[7][8]
It was LSU's first loss in a game played in New Orleans (which is near the LSU campus in Baton Rouge) since the 1987 Sugar Bowl. From 1987 through the 2011 regular season, LSU was 4–0 in bowl games in New Orleans (three Sugar Bowls and the 2008 BCS National Championship Game) and 5–0 in the city vs. Tulane.
- ^ Vegas Insider – College Football Betting Lines Archived December 28, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Dufresne, Chris (June 13, 2009). "Rose Bowl game moving to ESPN in 2011". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 7, 2011.
- ^ Gregory, Sean (January 9, 2012). "Alabama's BCS Win: A Fitting End to a Subpar Bowl Season". Time. Retrieved January 12, 2012.
- ^ "Alabama's D embarrasses LSU as five FGs, late TD seal national title". ESPN. Associated Press. January 9, 2012. Archived from the original on March 2, 2017. Retrieved January 12, 2012.
- ^ Prisbell, Eric (January 9, 2012). "BCS national championship: Alabama handles LSU 21–0 to claim title". Washington Post. Retrieved January 12, 2012.
- ^ "No. 2 Alabama beats No. 1 LSU 21–0 for BCS title". Sports Illustrated. January 9, 2012. Archived from the original on January 12, 2012. Retrieved May 13, 2013.
- ^ Solomon, Jon (January 10, 2012) "Alabama-LSU produces third-lowest TV rating for national championship in BCS era." al.com.
- ^ "BCS National Championship 2012: Terrible Ratings Show BCS Got It Wrong". Bleacherreport. January 9, 2012. Retrieved January 12, 2012.