ABC crew of Brad Nessler, Todd Blackledge split on national title matchup

Blackledge, a former Penn State and Kansas City Chiefs quarterback, however, said he personally would enjoy seeing OSU get a shot against either of the SEC powers. “I as a fan would love to see this offensive football team go against either one of these defenses and see the Big 12 and the SEC in that type of a matchup.”

In a reversal from earlier in the week, OSU coach Mike Gundy told sideline reporter Holly Rowe after the game that the Cowboys unquestionably were the nation's No. 2 team and deserved a shot in the BCS final.

“I think people have to decide whether they want to see a 9-6 game or a 39-36 game,” he said. “I think this is the opportunity for people to find out how good the defense is in the SEC, and we would love to have that challenge.”

ABC showed numerous signs in the stands voicing that opinion, including “Alabama Behind Cowboys” and “We Want LSU!”

Nessler and Blackledge said they both were caught off guard by the lopsided game. They were late replacements for ABC's No. 1 team of Brent Musburger and Kirk Herbstreit, which the network switched the ACC championship — also a rout (Clemson 38, Virginia Tech 10).

“I thought that there would be a lot of points,” said Blackledge, who was covering his first Bedlam game, “but I thought it would be on both sides of the ledger.”

In the third quarter, Blackledge called the OSU defense the biggest surprise of the game and said the Cowboys benefited from the two-week layoff after their upset loss to Iowa State. “They are a fresher-looking team defensively,” he said. “Offensively, their running game has gotten a lot better than it has the last couple of weeks.”