LSU might geaux to New Orleans, but the Tigers better take their Visa cards. They’ll have to buy tickets now to get into the BCS championship game.

The No. 1-ranked team in the nation ran into a bunch of guys Friday night who wanted it more, who laid it on the line for 60 minutes plus three overtimes and came away with a 50-48 victory in Death Valley.

In Death Valley.

Thanks to a good game plan, good play-calling, great execution and playing to win for an entire game, it was the guys in red who charged the field in a wild, joyous celebration at 6: 03 Friday night after the Tigers ’ two-point conversion was intercepted. From the press box, they looked like fire ants on speed.

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Under a full moon, on LSU’s senior night, they stormed the field. They had saved the season and, who knows, maybe Houston Nutt’s job if he still wants it.

No doubt at 8-4 he’ll be more attractive to other schools if everyone decides a fresh start is what he and the program need.

All of that will be decided in the days to come.

Too often promises are made at the UA on the strength of one passionate victory.

In just a week, though, it should be official that 8-4 overall and 4-4 in SEC play boosted the Razorbacks to be in line for a shot at the Cotton Bowl on New Year’s Day. Maybe against Texas.

Take nothing away from the Razorbacks’ performance, but LSU didn’t take care of business in the first half. It didn’t learn its lesson last season about Darren McFadden.

Sitting on a pair of field goals, the Tigers were extra conservative. Then McFadden scored from the 16, and Alex Tejada’s extra point put the Hogs on top 7-6 at the half.

They would not trail in regulation again.

This was a game with millions of televisions tuned in, and what the viewers saw was a valiant effort by heavy underdogs.

Many will scratch their heads and rightfully ask what if this team had shown that type of intensity against Alabama, Kentucky, Auburn and Tennessee, but what really matters now is the Razorbacks knocked off the best team in the SEC in its own yard.

In Death Valley.

In one of the most hostile environments in college football, McFadden should have played his way back onto every Heisman voter’s ballot. Maybe not all firsts, but a ton of seconds and thirds.

The junior ran for 206 yards and three touchdowns. He passed for another score and had 49 yards in kick returns. He ran the WildHog like it was designed for him.

His 73-yard run in the third quarter should have served notice to the sleeping giants in purple that these Hogs had come to play.

A big clue came on that run when quarterback Casey Dick threw the touchdown-saving block at the 20 on safety Chad Jones, who had actually caught up to McFadden.

There was another major clue later in the third quarter when the Hogs’ offensive line blew the Tigers out of the water and Peyton Hillis went 65 yards untouched for a touchdown out of the WildHog formation.

Shortly thereafter, the Tigers put it together enough to tie it with 57 seconds to play and send it to overtime.

As corny as it might sound, the Razorbacks refused to lose.

In Death Valley, which had awakened and was roaring.

On offense, the Hogs blasted and ground out 385 yards on 53 carries. Hillis got 89 on 11 carries and Felix Jones 85 on only 9.

Everyone in the joint knew the Hogs were going to run, and they lined up and did it successfully.

On their first possession of overtime, they passed three times, and that was enough to keep LSU honest in the next two overtimes when the Razorbacks ran it down the Tigers’ throat.

The second half was the Razorbacks’ best half of football this season.

As 13-point underdogs, they came to town, played their game with extreme effort and earned the victory.

In Death Valley.