This is it. For 35 days, Auburn, Oregon, and the rest of the nation have been waiting for this day to come. Now, after weeks of waiting, we are finally going to witness the showdown that has been analyzed, argued about, and had its outcome predicted numerous times. Call it whatever you like. The bully SEC vs. the underdog Pac 10. Size vs. Speed. But whatever you call it, the stakes are the same. This is the battle for the Coaches Trophy; the Division 1 college football national title game.
Here is my pick for the big one.
BCS National Championship Game
Oregon vs. Auburn
In order to win this game, both teams are going to have to stick to what got them there. With that being said, expect a lot of excitement in Glendale tonight, as that is what these teams have been bringing to fans since the season started back in September.
Oregon will most likely be prepared for this game, and won’t be caught off guard by the speed of a real game after the long layoff. The conditioning that the Ducks do in practice is one of the reasons why they can reel off plays so quickly. This is also why, as a team that likes to run the ball, they are also able to score a lot of points. In this game, however, Oregon will need to establish the pass first in order to open up the run. If Oregon tries to use LaMichael James too often early on, the Auburn front four is good enough to contain him and will begin to gain confidence. However, if Oregon can establish the passing game early and force the Auburn defense to have to think, the Ducks speed will allow them to get things going on the offensive end.
I think that it is easier to pin down exactly what Auburn needs to do in order to win tonight. If there is one area that Oregon has been less than outstanding in this season, it is stopping the passing game. The Ducks give up 214 yards per game through the air, and unfortunately for them, are going up against an Auburn offense that has scored 29 of its touchdowns in that way. If Auburn wants to keep pace with an Oregon offense that is sure to score a lot of points, Cam Newton is going to need to find his favorite targets Darvin Adams and Terrell Zachery early and often.
There are two major battles, besides the one in the trenches, which I think will ultimately decide the outcome of this game. One of those battles is Oregon’s running game vs. Auburn’s defensive front four. The other is Auburn’s passing game vs. Oregon’s defensive secondary. I think that Oregon will win the first battle by a narrow margin, but it won’t be enough because I think that Cam Newton will take advantage of a less than stellar Oregon secondary.
This should be a fast paced, exciting game with lots of scoring. When the clock hits zero in the fourth quarter, I believe that Auburn will be on top, preserving the SEC’s perfect record in BCS Championship games. I have Auburn for 25 points in the College Bowl Mania game.
Final Score: 42-36 Auburn
– K. Becks
