NEW ORLEANS - Call it boring, call it tedious, call it downright dull. Call it whatever you would like. The Alabama Crimson Tide, like the honey badger, don’t care. Just as long as you call them national champions.

In Monday night’s BCS championship game, Alabama and LSU once again turned in a game that was heavy on defense and field goals and light on offensive fireworks. There were definitely some similarities to the 9-6 overtime slog-fest the teams displayed in their regular-season meeting back in November. For a football-crazed nation that has become accustomed to high-scoring shootouts, this was not must-see TV.

Alabama wins BCS championship Dave Martin / AP Top images   Click to view photos of title game action between Crimson Tide and Tigers. 'Bama blanks, boots LSU 21-0 for title   |  Stats CFT: 'Bama No. 1  |  Anti-Tide voters  |  Polls Estes: 'Dominating night' gives Tide worthy title Opinion: Keep dreaming, Okla. St.   |  Gundy whines Opinion: It was all about Saban   |  'Special team' CFT: Saban's defense never rests  |  'No fluke' Shelley 5 FGs redeem Alabama kickers QBs: McCarron steady  |  Jefferson falls apart CFT vote: 'Bama to repeat as national champs? 'Bama fans celebrate on Bourbon Street CFT: Trojans team to beat next season  |  Nope Tornado tragedy fueled Tide's title run CFT: MIles ripped after loss  |  No big raise   BCS title game winners  |  MVPs Ventre: And the BCS playoff winner would be ... CFT: Recruit's mom mad he picked Tide over LSU Rocky the Octopus aced his BCS picks

But it was a championship-worthy performance, at least by Alabama. The Crimson Tide defense completely stymied the LSU offense, holding the Tigers to a paltry 92 yards. Meanwhile, Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron defied the skeptics who questioned his ability to rise to the occasion in such a big game, completing 23-of-34 passes for 234 yards and leading the Tide to field goal after field goal.

The kicks added up, and after Trent Richardson scored a late touchdown (yes, an actual touchdown), Alabama had a 21-0 victory that should quiet all the critics who said the Crimson Tide did not even belong in the championship game.

And if there are still a few doubters left out there, well, the Alabama players don’t really care.

“Everybody should be a believer now,” Alabama junior cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick said. “It was a dominating night. I felt like we did a great job of executing in all phases of the game. All phases.”

No matter what the Tigers tried to do on offense, Alabama seemed to be ready for it. Wherever the football went, there were usually at least two or three Tide defenders swarming around it. LSU had no room to breathe, and eventually nowhere to turn for answers.

“It was as painful as anything we’ve been through,” LSU coach Les Miles said afterward.

Miles had no tricks under his mad hat on this night. The Tigers managed a grand total of five first downs. They needed 52 minutes of the game before they could even cross midfield. By midway through the third quarter, it was painfully obvious that there would be no LSU comeback. By the fourth quarter, the Tigers had practically thrown up the white flag.

“We wanted to come out as strong as we could and hit them in the mouth from the get-go, and I think we did that,” Alabama junior defensive end Jesse Williams said. “Towards the end I could definitely tell that they really didn’t want to play against us any longer.”

The Tigers looked so inept offensively that the first question Miles received in the postgame news conference turned into a mini-rant that included the media member saying, “Five first downs? Come on, that’s ridiculous.” As was the case during the game, Miles didn’t have much of an answer to this onslaught.

Jim Rogash / Getty Images The Week in Sports Pictures The nation grieved for those hurt, killed and affected by the Boston Marathon bombings. After one of the suspects was caught on Friday — following a day-long lockdown and manhunt — sports returned to Boston over the weekend.

“We did throw the football down the field,” Miles declared feebly. “We didn’t necessarily get the football down the field.”

That was not the case for McCarron. Alabama’s sophomore quarterback repeatedly eluded the LSU rush and fired near-perfect passes that dissected the Tigers’ vaunted secondary. He set the tone early by lofting a first-quarter pass deftly over ballyhooed LSU cornerback Tyrann “Honey Badger” Mathieu and hitting Kevin Norwood for a 26-yard gain. Alabama did not score on that possession, but it was obvious that McCarron was poised to have a big game.

“You want to talk about a guy who had his mind right and was not worried one bit about anything,” Alabama senior center William Vlachos said of McCarron. “He was loose and vocal the whole way through. During warmups he was bobbing his head to the music. He was ready for this moment.

“He was our leader tonight. Pregame, halftime, during the game. I couldn’t be prouder of him. Given the circumstances, I don’t think he could have played any better. I can’t get over what he showed tonight.”

Actually, it looked like everybody wearing an Alabama jersey felt they had something to prove in Monday’s game. Ever since the Tide lost to LSU in November, there had been a feeling among many observers that Alabama had its chance and now somebody else (most notably Oklahoma State) deserved a shot at the national championship.