WASHINGTON — Louisiana State University's football team took a wild route to the national championship — losing twice in triple overtime, taking lots of fourth-down risks, grabbing a spot in the title game only when other teams lost late in the year. It was a season in which no school was on top for long.

Until the end.

"LSU was number one on the day it counted," President Bush said today in a White House ceremony honoring the team. "That's why they're here."

LSU clobbered Ohio State 38-24 to win it all in January. Bush lauded the team's success on a damp, misty afternoon on the South Lawn. The players, standing on a riser behind Bush and along both staircases of the South Portico, smiled as Bush cracked one-liners and recapped their dramatic season.

The president noted some of the team's best known contributors, including quarterback Matt Flynn and defensive standout Glenn Dorsey. He described the team's coach, Les Miles, as a risk-taker and a strong leader. (He also ribbed him for not wearing his customary LSU hat, calling the sight rare and memorable.)

LSU became the first two-time champion in the 10-year history of the Bowl Championship Series and the first to lose two games in a championship season. In the title game, LSU fell behind 10-0, then scored 31 unanswered points to blow open the game.

As he usually does in sports ceremonies, Bush made a point of saying the team has off-the-field duties, too. "When you leave here, I hope you leave here knowing that you've got a special responsibility, not only to represent your school on the football field, but to help make America a better place," he said.

LSU had last won the college football championship in 2003, a year in which the school divided the title with the University of Southern California.

"This year, there is no split," Bush said, drawing applause from the LSU-friendly crowd of invited guests.