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2012 BCS National Championship Overview

Jack Jones — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 17:21:03 +0000

The BCS National Championship Game has a history of producing some controversial matchups and this one is no different. This year’s 1-vs-2 clash features two teams from the same division of the same conference who already played each other. One team won the league’s automatic BCS berth, while the other didn’t even play in the league championship game for the right to earn the BCS bid. While there are other conference champions in other bowls, a conference runner-up is considered deserving of the right to play for the national title.

No matter what you may think of the system, there is some or little argument that LSU and Alabama have proved themselves to be two of the best, if not the best, teams in the nation at the end of a wild 2011 season. And these two longtime rivals get a rare rematch for a national title. While the first meeting was in Tuscaloosa, this one will be in New Orleans the Tigers’ adopted home.

This should make for a very interesting end to an entertaining bowl season, and a college-football campaign overall.

LSU has won the last seven meetings between these two storied programs, including the 9-6 win in Tuscaloosa and a 24-21 win in Baton Rouge a year ago.

The latest BCS Championship odds show Alabama favored by 1 points, while the over/under is posted at 41 points.

Alabama

The Crimson Tide had an incredible season. They even bounced back well after their loss to LSU, winning their last three regular season games by a combined score of 111-42. This squad is headlined by a defense that allowed less than 10 points in seven of their twelve games. Alabama enters the title game with a perfect 5-0 road record.

The Tide is ranked tops in the nation in scoring defense (9 points per game) and allows 191 yards per game (116 passing, 75 rushing) while recording 26 sacks and forced 18 turnovers four of which were returned for touchdowns (DeMarcus Milliner, DeQuan Menzie and Courtney Upshaw, interceptions).

Dont’a Hightower leads this unit with 81 tackles, while Upshaw leads the squad with 8.5 sacks and two forced fumbles. Milliner has three interceptions and Dre Kirkpatrick has two forced fumbles.

Alabama ranks 16th in the nation in scoring offense (36 ppg) while compiling 433 yards per game (220 rushing, 213 passing).

Trent Richardson anchors the running game with 1,583 yards and 20 TDs on 6.0 yards per carry, while Eddy Lacy adds 631 yards and seven TDs on 7.5 ypc. A.J. McCarron has completed 67 percent of his passes for 2,400 yards and 16 touchdowns with five interceptions, while the offensive line allowed 15 sacks. Marquis Maze is the top pass-catcher with 56 receptions (29 more than anyone else) for 627 yards and a TD.

LSU

The Tigers are the only unbeaten team in the nation and have held the No. 1 ranking for most of the season (started No. 4). Since that win at Alabama, LSU seemed to get better, rolling up four straight wins since by a combined 177-39, including 83-27 over top-10 Arkansas and Georgia en route to the SEC title. LSU was 7-0 away from home and 6-0 in its home state of Louisiana, the site of this game.

LSU is second nationally in scoring defense (10 ppg), ranking only behind Alabama, and allows 252 yards per game (167 passing, 85 rushing) while compiling 37 sacks and forcing 30 turnovers six of which were returned for TDs (Morris Claiborne and Ron Brooks, three interceptions; Tyrann Mathieu and Kevin Minter, three fumbles).

Mathieu paces the defense with 70 tackles, six forced fumbles and five recoveries, while Sam Montgomery has recorded nine sacks and Barkevious Mingo added eight. Claiborne is one of the top pickoff artists in the nation with six interceptions.

The LSU offense ranks 12th in the nation in scoring (38 ppg) while recording 375 yards of offense per game (215 rushing, 160 passing).

Michael Ford and Spencer Ware lead the rushing attack with a combined 1,455 yards and 15 TDs on 4.7 yards per carry. Jordan Jefferson has completed 60 percent of his passes for 684 yards and six TDs with just one interception, while the offensive line has allowed 14 sacks. Reuben Randle is the top receiving target with 50 catches for 904 yards and eight TDs.

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2009-10 BCS Championship Game Preview

Jack Jones — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 22:30:38 +0000

Both the Texas Longhorns and the Alabama Crimson Tide are teams that are rich in history. Both teams have played in major bowl games in years past, and BetUS Sportsbook takes a look at how these teams have stacked up against the college football point spread in recent years in their bowl game betting battles. Don’t forget that you can get all of your college bowl picks this season from the best handicappers on the planet!

2008

Fiesta Bowl: Texas 24 – Ohio State 21: The Longhorns were favored by eight points in the ’08 Fiesta Bowl, and college football bettors were treated to a tremendous game. The Horns took a 17-6 lead into the fourth quarter and looked like they were set to cover the spread, but Ohio State stormed back and took a 21-17 lead with just 2:05 to play after two TDs. But QB Colt McCoy got the job done, hooking up with WR Quan Cosby for the game-winning score with just 0:16 to play. McCoy went 41/59 for 414 yards and two scores through the air and added a rushing touchdown to boot.

Sugar Bowl: Utah 31 – Alabama 17: Many thought that Alabama had the best team in the country last year, as it was the last undefeated team in major college football standing before losing to the Gators in the SEC Championship Game. However, after the 31-20 loss to Florida, a 31-17 loss to the Utes was a huge shock, especially as 9.5-point favorites.

2007

Holiday Bowl: Texas 52 – Arizona State 34: It was one of the best offensive showcases of the ’07 bowl season. RB Jamaal Charles ran for 161 yards and two scores, while McCoy ended up racking up 258 total yards of offense and two tuddies of his own. Texas jumped out to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter and never looked back, ultimately easily covering the one-point spread.

Independence Bowl: Alabama 30 – Colorado 24: Was this the game that really started it all for Alabama? It was sure a confidence-builder for QB John Parker Wilson, who went on to lead the Tide to their 12-0 start to last season. He went 19/32 for 256 yards and three TDs with a pick, as Bama finished up its season at 7-6, which helped set the stage for two seasons of success under HC Nick Saban.

2006

Alamo Bowl: Texas 26 – Iowa 24: Welcome to big time college football, Colt McCoy! The then freshman quarterback led the Horns to a 26-24 victory in the Alamo Bowl, as he went 26/40 for 308 yards and two TDs. Texas didn’t cover the hefty nine-point spread, but it was a day that set up the future for Longhorns football.

Independence Bowl: Oklahoma State 34 – Alabama 31: Very few of the players from that Alabama team that lost the ’06 Independence Bowl as short underdogs are still around, but one of them was a huge cog in a big comeback. DB Javier Arenas cut a 31-17 deficit in the fourth quarter in half with his 86-yard punt return for a touchdown. The super senior will be looking to break the all-time NCAA record for punt return yardage, and if he gets 172 yards against the Horns, he’ll pull off the feat.

2010 BCS Championship – Mental Edge

Jack Jones — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 02:11:59 +0000

Franklin Cittenden doesn’t care that there hasn’t been a single bowl game played yet this season, he’s ready to focus on the 2010 BCS Title game right now. He wrote a pretty good article today on the mental makeup of both of these teams. If you think the bowl game lines are tight on certain games, you need to find any edge imagineable for your bowl picks, so let’s take a look here to see if either of these teams has a certain mental advantage over the other. If you are looking for a place to get in on the bowl action, then take a look at the $120 match bonus offered by Sports Interaction!

Both of these teams have tons of talent, two Hall of Fame coaches, and both have gone undefeated through their regular seasons to earn themselves a shot at the national title. With two fairly evenly matched teams, you have to go deeper than the stats to the mental component so let’s dig in.

Texas is coming off a tough Big 12 Championship game where they almost lost to Nebraska. The Longhorns only scored 13 points on 202 total yards and caught a few lucky breaks to finish off the game. Another disappointing performance was their showing against Texas A&M when they allowed 532 yards and 39 points to a 6-6 team.

Alabama on the other hand has plenty of momentum after taking apart the Florida Gators 32-13 in the SEC Championship game. They did have a poor showing heading into that game against Auburn, giving up 21 points and 332 yards to a 7-5 team.

The media might be giving the Longhorns a motivational advantage here. The Tide have been hearing about how they are the heavy favorites, how they have more All-Americans, and how their guy, Mark Ingram, edged out Colt McCoy for the Heisman. Saban has to worry about his players buying into that hype and not playing as hard as they should, Brown knows that the media is pumping his guys up to work hard each day in practice.

Is that kind of slight going to be enough to give Texas the edge over Alabama? I guess we’ll find out.

2006 BCS Game Odds

Jack Jones — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 16:07:42 +0000

When the 2006 BCS Game odds came out it showed Ohio State as a big favorite to take the title home over Florida. A lot of people where hoping that Michigan would get another shot at Ohio State, but Florida jumped ahead of the Wolverines by the slimmest margin in BCS history and get to take their shot at the Buckeyes.

Florida played one of the toughest schedules in the nation, battling through the difficult SEC conference before being crowned the champion. They last played in the national title game back in 1997 under Steve Spurrier, a 52-20 win over Florida State that gave the school their first and only national championship.

Ohio State has a couple of the best players in the nation in Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith and Ted Ginn Jr. They last made it to the national title game in 2003, when they beat the Hurricanes 31-24 in double overtime. That marked the first national title for Ohio State since the 1968 season. The tough offense with other weapons like Pittman and Gonzalez will face a tough test in Florida’s defense. The Gators held Darren McFadden 50 yards below his season average in the SEC title game. However, the Buckeye defense isn’t full of slouchers either and they will have the task of stopping Chris Leak, DeShawn Wynn, Tim Tebow, and Percy Harvey. The team averaged 29 ppg and nearly 400 ypg, but the Buckeyes are only giving up 273 ypg and 10.4 ppg, which ranked 2nd in the nation. Head Coach Jim Tressel is 4-1 in bowl games at Ohio State.

What a game this is going to be, but a win by Florida will throw a new debate in the mix if Michigan can handle USC. If Ohio State wins they are the clear national champion and will deserve the accolades they will get, but this should be an exciting game with two teams that have boat loads of talent.

This is the last chance to cash in on our college bowl picks for the season. Sign up today for our college bowl picks and finish you NCAA football season off on a good note.

2006 BCS Game Odds:

Florida +7.5 -109 at Pinnacle
Ohio State -7.5 -101 at Pinnacle

OVER 46.5 at VIP
UNDER 47 at BetCris

Info Plays 2009 BCS National Championship Picks

Jack Jones — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 17:16:37 +0000

Take a look at the reasons why the Info Plays team thinks Florida covers the spread Wednesday:

10* Florida/Oklahoma Championship Line Mistake on Florida -4.5

1.) Both teams can score, but Florida has the defense that will get a few stops in this game to allow for a National Championship. This is the best defense the Sooners have seen all season, and they will be held to their lowest point total of the year.

2.) Tim Tebow is a winner, and he’ll be a bit upset over losing the Heisman Trophy to Oklahoma QB Sam Bradford. This just adds more fuel to the fire. Tebow will be looking to show up Bradford and absolutely destroy this Sooners’ defense.

3.) Percy Harvin is between 90% and 100% healthy for this game. The Gators didn’t need Harvin to beat Alabama in the SEC Championship, but they are a much more effective offense with him on the field. He’ll draw more attention than any other player in this game, and this will allow big plays for the Gators’ role players as there will be many one-on-one match-ups that Florida receivers will win all game. Bob Stoops has been choking in these BCS games, and he has become a bit of a distraction to his team as the Denver Broncos have shown their interest in stoops between the end of the season and this game. Florida is a perfect 7-0 ATS when playing against a team with a winning record this season. Bet Florida in the BCS Championship.

Big Al 2009 BCS Championship Picks

Jack Jones — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 17:15:04 +0000

At 8:15 pm, our selection is on the Florida Gators minus the points over Oklahoma, as Florida falls into 20-7, 83-55, 54-26, 49-21, and 80-33 ATS bowl systems of mine. Both Oklahoma and Florida have proficient offenses, and can light up the scoreboard. But this game will be decided by which team is better able to stop the other. And the best defensive unit is that of Florida. The Gators give up just 12.8 points per game, compared to 24.5 points by the Sooners. In addition to having the much better defense, Florida also has the better coach. Although both have won national championships, Bob Stoops has had his troubles in recent years in bowl games. Last year, West Virginia shredded Oklahoma 48-28. And two years ago, Boise State upended the Sooners 43-42. Since winning the national championship after the 2000 season, Stoops’ men are a dismal 2-5 ATS in the Bowls, including two losses in championship games: a 55-19 loss to USC in the Orange Bowl following the 2004 season, and a 21-14 loss to LSU following the 2003 season. In contrast, Urban Meyer has had great success in the bowls, with a 4-1 ATS record. And that mirrors Meyer’s overall success vs. non-conference competition. Since being named the head coach at Bowling Green in 2001, Meyer has dominated non-conference foes at each of his three stops (Bowling Green, Utah, and Florida). His teams are an incredible 32-3 straight-up and 27-4 ATS, including 11-1 ATS when not laying 7 or more points, and 14-0 if his team won its previous game by 31 points or less. Take Florida. Good luck, as always…Al McMordie.

Harvey’s 2009 Florida/Oklahoma Picks

Jack Jones — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 17:11:49 +0000

Bob Harvey taking the UNDER in the BCS title game to finish off his bowl picks season on a winning note and here is why:

It’s not surprising the total is reaching skyward at 72 for this game. Oklahoma boasts the No. 1 scoring offense in the nation with 54 points per game while Florida ranks No. 3 with 45.2. The Sooners became the only team in college football history to score more than 60 points in five straight games.

We could get into all kinds of offensive stats, but the biggest difference to note between the two teams on offense is passing yards. Oklahoma ranks third in the country compared to Florida’s 63rd ranking.

The good news for Gators bettors is their team has a far superior pass defense (174 yards against per game versus 253 yards against per game). Florida’s scoring defense also ranks much higher at fifth (12.8 points against per game) compared to the Sooners’ at 57 (24.5).

If you struggled to beat the bowl game odds this year and dug yourself a bit of a whole, then make sure you get yourself out of it by taking a look at what Bob offers in basketball and the NFL. He is a no non-sense handicapper that spends his days breaking down games and his nights watching his work. He can and will help you if you let him.

Trapp’s 2009 National Title Game Picks

Jack Jones — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 17:09:12 +0000

Well hope all of you read my two articles on why each team would win. I tried to be as unbiased as possible all along knowing that really thinking FL wins easy. Two big reasons behind this pick. First look at the BIG 12 bowl games none of them are as good as we thought they were. Secondly Tebow is almost unstoppable he can get 5 yards almost every play he runs the ball. If Florida starts to struggle they will ride Tebows legs all the way down the field. Anyway think OKL gets impatient once they get down and the FL team takes advantage of them to create to’s. Also don’t forget special teams for FL are special but not so much for OKL big advantage to FL here. SCORE UF 34 – OKL 23

Another winning season of bowl picks is in the books for handicapper Craig Trapp. He finished it off on a strong note by taking the Florida Gators over the Oklahoma Sooners with the bowl game odds on the 2009 national title game. This was a season to remember for Trapp and his clients, but you can still cash in on the other sports that he handicaps all year long as you wait for another great season of college football.

Freese’s 2009 BCS Championship Game Picks

Jack Jones — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 17:06:19 +0000

Florida is 7-0 ATS vs. winning teams this year and they are 6-0 ATS vs. teams that score 31 or more points a game in the last two years. The Gators are 7-0 ATS after covering the spread in 3 of their last 4 games and they are 7-0 ATS off straight up win. Oklahoma has scored 60 or more points in five straight games. They won’t approach 60 points tonight against a Florida team that allowed 21 or less points in 12 of their 13 games this year. The Sooners are 0-4 ATS their last 4 January games and they are 0-5 ATS their last 5 games vs. Southeast Conference teams. 20* College Football BOWL GAME OF THE YEAR! PLAY ON FLORIDA -

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Janus 2009 BCS National Title Game Picks

Jack Jones — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 17:03:46 +0000

Look, you’ve been hearing about this match up for weeks. Florida wins tonight because they have the better running game. The Gators average about 30 more yards per game on the ground than the Sooners, with less carries per game. The Gators also have more returning starters and more returning letterwinners than Oklahoma does this year. Experience in big games matters. Oklahoma’s defense has looked very vulnerable against strong offenses all season, they’ve just been able to out-score them. Unfortunately for them, I think Florida will do what Texas did to Oklahoma, and that is to rush the hell out of Sam Bradford. That’s the only thing that is going to keep them off-balance, and they have the talent to do it. The Florida Gators are your BCS National Champions this year.

If you missed out on any of the college football bowl picks offered by Steve Janus then don’t make the same mistake next season! He was by far the best handicapper we had this year overall in college action and he’ll be back once again next year to keep piling up the units for his clients. You can still profit on his selections in other sports, just remember not to miss out on a chance to win in football in 2009!