Before the BCS pageant judges cast their final ruling on the college football swimsuit competition and my respective Heisman voters punch their ballots, here’s a few final thoughts.

First of all, we know the BCS won’t do the right thing because that’s not its style. I have no doubt on Sunday night that against all fairness and logic, an SEC West rematch between LSU and Alabama will be set for New Orleans. That’s just the way the lemmings roll.

Of course, that’s the absolutely wrong way to go. LSU shouldn’t have to prove again that it’s better than Alabama after winning in Tuscaloosa already. If it does, clearly every game doesn’t really count.

More importantly, Oklahoma State deserves its shot at the No. 1 Tigers. The Cowboys’ emphatic victory in the Bedlam game against Oklahoma on Saturday night to WIN the Big 12 conference title (instead of sitting at home watching other teams win conference titles) is just one reason.

Consider this. For all of the folks stating unequivocally that Alabama is one of the two best teams in the country, please tell me how many Division I-A teams with winning records this season did the Crimson Tide defeat to earn such recognition?

The answer is three – Arkansas, Penn State and Auburn. Only one of those three has a defense rated in the top 50.

And how many Division I-A teams with winning records did Oklahoma State defeat in posting the exact same 11-1 record?

That answer is eight – Oklahoma, Kansas State, Baylor, Missouri, Texas, Texas Tech, Tulsa and Louisiana-Lafayette. Five of those teams were ranked in the most recent BCS poll as opposed to two on Alabama’s slate.

Won’t matter, because the BCS is stupid and will provide us with the worst possible result. That’s what it does so well.

And while I’m delivering opinions that will enrage Alabama fans enough to come poison the trees in my yard, Tide running back Trent Richardson isn’t getting one of my three votes on my Heisman ballot.

Richardson, of course, is a terrific running back. He’ll make an outstanding pro. No argument there. If he returns for another year, he'll be my favorite to win the trophy in 2012.

But what has he done to be Heisman worthy? He ranks sixth in rushing yards. He ranks 11th in average yards per rush. He ranks fifth in rushing touchdowns (15 total TDs behind Wisconsin’s Montee Ball who also rushed for a couple hundred more yards). And before you throw out the "but the SEC is so great with the greatest defenses," 'Bama faced three top-40 overall defenses all season and only two top-50 rush defenses (and Penn State was 50th).

Alabama didn’t get to where it is because of its offense. The Crimson Tide is defense first, just like LSU (as their 9-6 duel attested). And on that reasoning, LSU’s defensive and special teams playmaker Tyrann Mathieu is a better Heisman pick.

Mathieu was the game-changer in pivotal victories the last two weeks against Arkansas and Georgia, with jaw-dropping punt returns that proved to be the comeback catalysts. The “Honey Badger” also leads the Tigers in tackles (70), forced fumbles (6), fumble recoveries (5) and has a couple of key interceptions as well. The guy is the best defensive player on the best team in the nation that holds that status because of its defense. How can you ignore that?

My other two votes will likely go to quarterbacks who are the best and most important players on their own respective teams. With apologies to Kellen Moore at Boise State, I’m going with Andrew Luck at Stanford and the electrifying Robert Griffin III at Baylor. Without those guys, neither the Cardinal (11-1) nor Baylor (9-3) would be remotely as competitive as they were in two of the nation’s best conferences.

I’m leaning towards RG3 over Luck in the QB race because his numbers are better in QB rating, passing yards, rushing yards, completion percentage and TD/INT ratio. Other than that, Luck won more games and deserves praise for coming back as a senior.

But because I believe defensive players don’t get enough Heisman consideration (and I voted for Ndamukong Suh two years ago, before we all came to find out what a jerk he really is), right now the Honey Badger is high on my list for the No. 1 vote. That could change before I punch the button on Monday.