NEW ORLEANS — Somewhere in the clash of colors — purple and gold, red and silver — sat a man who hopes he has put into motion a chance to be more than an invited guest to the BCS championship game.

Athletic directors of the conferences involved in the championship game are offered a chance to attend what has become the most significant college football game each season.

Jeff Long, as the University of Arkansas athletic director, accepted the chance to share the pageantry and passion of the game, and no doubt, he will return home with a burning desire to get his program to the level of LSU and Ohio State.

When Long last saw the LSU Tigers in person, he was just up the road a piece, on the campus where his father -in-law is a professor, and the Razorbacks had just beaten LSU 50-48.

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Arkansas fans would fit in very well in a championship environment.

Make no mistake about the fans Monday night; the Buckeyes faithful and the Tigers nation were enthusiastic and encouraging in their numbers that were close to evenly split in the Louisiana Superdome.

Of course, this city was overrun with purple people eaters who only wished they had a ticket, but they came for the citywide private party that a victory and national championship warranted.

With just 5: 48 gone in the game, they had a reason to be concerned. Ohio State led 10-0.

Last year in this game, the Buckeyes led Florida 7-0 after returning the opening kickoff for a touchdown.

They ended up getting blown out by the Gators 41-14.

The SEC is not only claiming to be the best college football conference in the country, it is offering more than enough evidence to stop the debates.

Monday night was the second consecutive BCS championship, and the third in four years, for the SEC.

Give Jim Tressel and Ohio Sate credit. This is the third time in five years they have been one of the two teams in the season finale, and they won this game in 2002.

The difference Monday night was LSU’s defense, which was especially good in critical situations. They came out a little tentative — enough that the most nervous people in America were in Nebraska — but after giving up a 65-yard touchdown run and a 44-yard pass that led to the Buckeyes’ field goal, the seniorladen defense, with seven starting their final game, went to work.

Matt Flynn’s perfect passes helped the Tigers tie it at 10, then Ricky Jean-Francois blocked a Buckeyes field-goal attempt, Darry Beckwith recovered and the Tigers drove 65 yards to take a 17-10 lead.

Ohio State was ineffective for two plays, and then Chevis Jackson intercepted Todd Boeckman, returned it 34 yards to the OSU 24, and five plays later, Jacob Hester busted in from the 1.

The Buckeyes came out in the second half and stopped the Tigers until, on fourth-and-23 from the LSU 40, they roughed the kicker.

Then were hit with a personal foul, and the momentum had swung back to the bayou boys.

Early Doucet got the touchdown after he shucked two defenders as easily as he could a crawfish head, and with 9: 04 to play in the third quarter, it was 31-10.

The Buckeyes would get a touchdown after an interception.

They brought their fans to their feet with the first possession of the final quarter, driving from their 20 to the LSU 37, but a sack by Kirston Pittman left Ohio State with a fourth-and-7. That’s when R. J. Jackson dropped Boeckman for a 21-yard loss and stripped the ball, which Harry Coleman recovered.

The Tigers’ offense got nothing, but the defense was pressuring Boeckman on most downs, and with 5: 43 to play, Curtis Taylor got an interception. The party began even before their final touchdown.

The game ended with chants of “SEC, SEC.”

Jeff Long should have come away with a burning desire to raise the bar at his new school.

He’s got his coach in place, Frank Broyles got the facilities and the Razorbacks fans deserve it.