Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl
VS

Kentucky (7-5) Breakdown

Category	National Rank	Actual	National Leader	Actual	Conf Rank	Southeastern Conference Leader	Actual
Rushing Offense	21	193.25	Nevada	362.25	5	Mississippi St.	227.58
Passing Offense	114	142.83	Houston	450.00	12	Arkansas	303.33
Total Offense	90	336.08	Houston	581.23	10	Florida	442.38
Scoring Offense	63	27.17	Boise St.	44.15	8	Arkansas	37.33
Rushing Defense	100	183.17	Texas	62.15	11	Alabama	77.92
Pass Efficiency Defense	23	110.83	Alabama	88.81	6	Alabama	88.81
Total Defense	59	362.92	TCU	233.25	10	Alabama	241.69
Scoring Defense	44	22.83	Alabama	11.00	7	Alabama	11.00
Net Punting	31	37.16	Georgia	42.84	4	Georgia	42.84
Punt Returns	17	13.08	LSU	18.64	3	LSU	18.64
Kickoff Returns	24	23.85	TCU	30.62	5	Florida	26.08
Turnover Margin	T-46	.25	Rutgers	1.67	6	Alabama	1.23
Pass Defense	18	179.75	Air Force	148.67	7	Florida	151.46
Passing Efficiency	109	108.86	Cincinnati	166.19	11	Florida	160.90
Sacks	T-104	1.33	Pittsburgh	3.75	11	Mississippi	2.83
Tackles For Loss	92	5.00	Middle Tenn.	8.83	12	Mississippi	7.67
Sacks Allowed	24	1.25	Boise St.	.38	5	Georgia	1.00

Clemson (8-5) Breakdown

Category	National Rank	Actual	National Leader	Actual	Conf Rank	Atlantic Coast Conference Leader	Actual
Rushing Offense	44	169.62	Nevada	362.25	3	Georgia Tech	307.15
Passing Offense	86	195.92	Houston	450.00	7	Duke	305.00
Total Offense	69	365.54	Houston	581.23	8	Georgia Tech	442.69
Scoring Offense	24	31.92	Boise St.	44.15	2	Georgia Tech	35.31
Rushing Defense	69	150.31	Texas	62.15	7	North Carolina	92.83
Pass Efficiency Defense	24	111.27	Alabama	88.81	3	Virginia Tech	96.19
Total Defense	22	317.15	TCU	233.25	3	North Carolina	267.75
Scoring Defense	27	21.00	Alabama	11.00	4	Virginia Tech	15.75
Net Punting	109	32.72	Georgia	42.84	12	Virginia Tech	37.37
Punt Returns	9	14.38	LSU	18.64	2	Florida St.	16.81
Kickoff Returns	25	23.80	TCU	30.62	2	Virginia Tech	24.03
Turnover Margin	39	.38	Rutgers	1.67	3	Virginia Tech	.67
Pass Defense	11	166.85	Air Force	148.67	2	Virginia Tech	161.42
Passing Efficiency	72	125.69	Cincinnati	166.19	8	Georgia Tech	157.43
Sacks	25	2.62	Pittsburgh	3.75	1	Clemson	2.62
Tackles For Loss	13	7.46	Middle Tenn.	8.83	2	North Carolina	8.42
Sacks Allowed	37	1.46	Boise St.	.38	2	Georgia Tech	.69

Preview by: nmerritt11

Well there is no doubt this game in going to be interesting. Any time you pit an ACC team v/s an SEC team it demands attention. Kentucky’s coaches have been saying all week that Clemson is an SEC team in the ACC. They are loaded with size, speed, and talent. Overall on paper this game shouldn’t even be close. Clemson is by far the superior team but will the fact they went from ACC championship game to ACC bowl #5 keep their motivation low. This is basically a home game for the Wildcats and Nashville will be a sea of blue.

 

What to watch for:

 

Clemson’s Perimeter Running Game: Kentucky has been very good stopping the interior running game but teams have had success on the corners. With CJ’s lighting speed and above average blocking tight ends and WR look for Clemson to go to the corner early and often. That is where they seemed to find success against GT. Dabo has already said he is going to ride CJ all day long. CJ is determined to finish his career with a bowl victory. He needs right at 350 all-purpose yards to be the NCAA all time leading yardage record holder and Dabo seems ready to do everything possible to get him there. Kentucky better have a game plan for #28, and they will have to do it without their best linebacker, Sam Maxwell who is out for this one.

 

Wildcat’s Wildcat: SEC most versatile player Randall Cobb could be the wildcard this game. Clemson has struggled mightily against the wildcat offense and running QB. They spent a large part of their bowl practices trying to overhaul their wildcat defense. Sophomore and former Freshman All-American Brandon Maye has taken responsibility for not getting the job done. He is the quarterback of the Clemson defense and will have to call a perfect game. Clemson’s aggressive defense seems to over run and miss the correct gaps often against the Wildcat. If they do that against Cobb, they could be in for a long day because he has big play ability.

 

Clemson’s Defensive Line Depth: Normally strength of the Tigers, Clemson comes in with talented lineman Jamie Cumbie and Rennie Moore suspended for this game. Brandon Thompson and Jarvis Jenkins will not be spelled as much and will have to pull double duty. Clemson is talented enough in their 3 deep to go to the bench but they don’t want to have to do it often with Kentucky’s rush attack. They need to be a staple along with Bowers and Sapp in the back field to disrupt Freshman QB Morgan Newton, who was Clemson’s top QB recruit in last years class. Look for Clemson to use multiple packages moving Bowers interior and Malliciah Goodman on the end to upgrade spped and try to confuse and disrupt the young QB.

 

Teams Motivation: The talk of the town is Clemson being disappointed about playing in Nashville but Kentucky isn’t exactly excited about being there either. It will be interesting to see which team comes out ready to play. I can tell you this; if Clemson wins the toss I bet you will see #28 and #6 awaiting a kick-off from the Wildcats. Dabo is different than most coaches and likes to talk the ball first to set the tone. With spiller, he knows he doesn’t need his defense to get a stop to begin the field position battle! With Spiller and Ford’s big play ability, they could easily set the tone for the ball game. I also wouldn’t be surprised to see Cobb very early to try and control the clock with the Wildcat and keep the high powered Clemson offense on the sidelines.

 

This game has the make-up to be a good one. The two teams met in this same bowl 3 years ago where Kentucky manhandled the Tigers in a 28-20 win that was not near as close as the score indicates. Spiller and teammate James Davis were held to next to no yards. Spiller only had 5 touches which almost lead to his transfer to Florida. Between the two they only had 12 touches and Clemson fans were irate. Do not look for that to happen tonight! That being said, Clemson rides Spiller to a 38-24 win in Nashville and Spiller comes up just short of the All-Time NCAA All-Purpose record but does eclipse the 250 yard mark with 3 touchdowns to end his collegiate career!

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Advocare Independence Bowl
VS

Texas A&M (6-6) Breakdown

Category	National Rank	Actual	National Leader	Actual	Conf Rank	Big 12 Conference Leader	Actual
Rushing Offense	25	190.42	Nevada	362.25	2	Oklahoma St.	191.75
Passing Offense	22	274.92	Houston	450.00	6	Texas Tech	380.67
Total Offense	5	465.33	Houston	581.23	1	Texas A&M	465.33
Scoring Offense	15	33.92	Boise St.	44.15	3	Texas	40.69
Rushing Defense	87	168.58	Texas	62.15	10	Texas	62.15
Pass Efficiency Defense	84	135.56	Alabama	88.81	12	Nebraska	90.54
Total Defense	107	431.33	TCU	233.25	12	Texas	251.08
Scoring Defense	104	32.67	Alabama	11.00	12	Nebraska	11.23
Net Punting	92	33.87	Georgia	42.84	10	Oklahoma	40.86
Punt Returns	97	6.24	LSU	18.64	10	Oklahoma	16.72
Kickoff Returns	45	22.59	TCU	30.62	6	Texas	27.38
Turnover Margin	66	-.08	Rutgers	1.67	8	Texas	.92
Pass Defense	111	262.75	Air Force	148.67	12	Oklahoma	184.92
Passing Efficiency	34	140.15	Cincinnati	166.19	3	Texas	143.70
Sacks	8	2.92	Pittsburgh	3.75	5	Texas Tech	3.25
Tackles For Loss	39	6.33	Middle Tenn.	8.83	7	Texas	8.08
Sacks Allowed	73	2.25	Boise St.	.38	7	Oklahoma St.	.83

Georgia (7-5) Breakdown

Category	National Rank	Actual	National Leader	Actual	Conf Rank	Southeastern Conference Leader	Actual
Rushing Offense	54	157.08	Nevada	362.25	9	Mississippi St.	227.58
Passing Offense	78	204.75	Houston	450.00	7	Arkansas	303.33
Total Offense	73	361.83	Houston	581.23	8	Florida	442.38
Scoring Offense	58	27.67	Boise St.	44.15	7	Arkansas	37.33
Rushing Defense	41	127.58	Texas	62.15	3	Alabama	77.92
Pass Efficiency Defense	90	137.14	Alabama	88.81	11	Alabama	88.81
Total Defense	30	328.42	TCU	233.25	7	Alabama	241.69
Scoring Defense	70	26.42	Alabama	11.00	10	Alabama	11.00
Net Punting	1	42.84	Georgia	42.84	1	Georgia	42.84
Punt Returns	41	10.64	LSU	18.64	4	LSU	18.64
Kickoff Returns	76	21.03	TCU	30.62	11	Florida	26.08
Turnover Margin	119	-1.42	Rutgers	1.67	12	Alabama	1.23
Pass Defense	33	200.83	Air Force	148.67	10	Florida	151.46
Passing Efficiency	47	132.67	Cincinnati	166.19	6	Florida	160.90
Sacks	36	2.33	Pittsburgh	3.75	4	Mississippi	2.83
Tackles For Loss	16	7.08	Middle Tenn.	8.83	2	Mississippi	7.67
Sacks Allowed	T-12	1.00	Boise St.	.38	1	Georgia	1.00

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Chick-fil-a Bowl
VS

Virginia Tech (9-3) Breakdown

Category	National Rank	Actual	National Leader	Actual	Conf Rank	Atlantic Coast Conference Leader	Actual
Rushing Offense	15	206.42	Nevada	362.25	2	Georgia Tech	307.15
Passing Offense	98	181.83	Houston	450.00	9	Duke	305.00
Total Offense	55	388.25	Houston	581.23	6	Georgia Tech	442.69
Scoring Offense	28	31.42	Boise St.	44.15	4	Georgia Tech	35.31
Rushing Defense	52	138.67	Texas	62.15	4	North Carolina	92.83
Pass Efficiency Defense	6	96.19	Alabama	88.81	1	Virginia Tech	96.19
Total Defense	14	300.08	TCU	233.25	2	North Carolina	267.75
Scoring Defense	11	15.75	Alabama	11.00	1	Virginia Tech	15.75
Net Punting	27	37.37	Georgia	42.84	1	Virginia Tech	37.37
Punt Returns	42	10.52	LSU	18.64	6	Florida St.	16.81
Kickoff Returns	21	24.03	TCU	30.62	1	Virginia Tech	24.03
Turnover Margin	16	.67	Rutgers	1.67	1	Virginia Tech	.67
Pass Defense	6	161.42	Air Force	148.67	1	Virginia Tech	161.42
Passing Efficiency	13	150.17	Cincinnati	166.19	2	Georgia Tech	157.43
Sacks	29	2.50	Pittsburgh	3.75	3	Clemson	2.62
Tackles For Loss	32	6.50	Middle Tenn.	8.83	4	North Carolina	8.42
Sacks Allowed	T-92	2.50	Boise St.	.38	8	Georgia Tech	.69

Tennessee (7-5) Breakdown

Category	National Rank	Actual	National Leader	Actual	Conf Rank	Southeastern Conference Leader	Actual
Rushing Offense	43	169.83	Nevada	362.25	7	Mississippi St.	227.58
Passing Offense	47	225.58	Houston	450.00	3	Arkansas	303.33
Total Offense	48	395.42	Houston	581.23	6	Florida	442.38
Scoring Offense	32	30.58	Boise St.	44.15	5	Arkansas	37.33
Rushing Defense	58	142.92	Texas	62.15	7	Alabama	77.92
Pass Efficiency Defense	8	99.98	Alabama	88.81	3	Alabama	88.81
Total Defense	17	308.83	TCU	233.25	4	Alabama	241.69
Scoring Defense	27	21.00	Alabama	11.00	6	Alabama	11.00
Net Punting	83	34.64	Georgia	42.84	9	Georgia	42.84
Punt Returns	55	9.33	LSU	18.64	6	LSU	18.64
Kickoff Returns	28	23.75	TCU	30.62	6	Florida	26.08
Turnover Margin	41	.33	Rutgers	1.67	5	Alabama	1.23
Pass Defense	10	165.92	Air Force	148.67	4	Florida	151.46
Passing Efficiency	40	135.56	Cincinnati	166.19	5	Florida	160.90
Sacks	T-78	1.67	Pittsburgh	3.75	8	Mississippi	2.83
Tackles For Loss	T-69	5.50	Middle Tenn.	8.83	8	Mississippi	7.67
Sacks Allowed	T-12	1.00	Boise St.	.38	1	Georgia	1.00

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Preview by: chrisishokie

On New Years’ Eve, all eyes will be upon the Chick Fil a Peach bowl in Atlanta
between Tennessee and Virginia Tech.  Tennessee comes into this game 7-5 (4-4
in the SEC). In their first year under Lane Kiffin, the Volunteers had a
successful season, considering that with a victory in this game they will reach
8 wins. Their best win was against South Carolina, and they played both Florida
and Alabama very tough. I’m sure many Vol fans would argue they should have won
the Alabama game, so this is definitely a good team. Tennessee comes into this
game winning 4 of its last 5 while averaging 33 points a game. The Volunteers
have gotten hot at the right time and will look to keep it that way in their
final game of the season. Virginia Tech comes into this game 9-3 (6-2 in the
ACC). Some might say this was a disappointing season for the Hokies, but we
should still expect this team to be pumped up for this bowl game. The Hokies
best win came against coming against either Nebraska or Miami. They too played
Alabama tough but fell just short. Similar to Tennessee, Virginia Tech is
coming into this game rolling, winning their last 4 games by an average score
of 33-9. Tech’s defense has been much improved in the last 4 games, and it will
be a tough task to try and slow down Tennessee.

Key Matchups:
Eric Berry vs. Tyrod Taylor- Eric Berry is the Thorpe Award winner this season,
which is given to the best defensive back in college football. One of his main
jobs in this game will be to keep an eye on Tyrod Taylor and his scrambling
ability. Berry is a freak of an athlete and is most people’s top safety for the
NFL draft next season. He must contain Taylor and keep him from breaking off any
long runs. Taylor must be accurate in this game. One mistake could be costly,
and it wouldn’t be surprising if Eric Berry was the reason for that mistake.
Playing in his home state of Georgia, expect Berry to end his career on a high
note (assuming of course he goes to the NFL).

Ryan Williams vs. Tennessee’s Linebackers- Tennessee has plenty of injuries at
the linebacker position coming into this game. That could be a huge factor in
deciding how well Virginia Tech runs the ball in this game. Yes, a D-line can
shut down a team’s running game, but if the running back breaks through that,
the linebackers are next in line to stop the rusher. With second and third
string linebackers for Tennessee, Williams could have a big day, which he is
accustomed to lately.  In his last 4 games, Williams ran for 120 yards in every
single one while posting 9 touchdowns. It would not be a surprise if he ends the
season with an outstanding game.

Tennessee’s Special Teams vs. Virginia Tech’s Special Teams- This might be the
one biggest deciding factor for this game. Tennessee has struggled on special
teams this season, while this is where Virginia Tech excels. Tennessee must
contain the return men on kickoffs and punt returns. With this game most likely
coming down to one possession or two, a big special teams’ play could determine
who wins this game. The Vols will have had plenty of time to work on field
goals leading up to the game. They have had numerous blocked field goal
attempts during the season. It will be a necessity to have all that
straightened out, or Beamer Ball could strike again.

This is a very exciting matchup. Two great running backs in Ryan Williams and
Montario Hardesty will be featured. The quarterback play is going to be very
important for both teams. Crompton and Taylor need to be consistent and limit
their mistakes for their teams to be successful. The two defenses will be ready
to go, led by defensive gurus Monte Kiffin and Bud Foster. Expect plenty of
blitz packages and a well called game from both of them. Both of these teams
come in playing very well. One of them has to lose unfortunately. All we can
ask for is a great final game to end the season by both teams.

Prediction- Virginia Tech 24 Tennessee 20



Outback Bowl
VS

Northwestern (8-4) Breakdown

Category	National Rank	Actual	National Leader	Actual	Conf Rank	Big Ten Conference Leader	Actual
Rushing Offense	93	119.92	Nevada	362.25	8	Wisconsin	206.67
Passing Offense	29	266.08	Houston	450.00	2	Michigan St.	271.17
Total Offense	57	386.00	Houston	581.23	6	Wisconsin	415.83
Scoring Offense	76	25.17	Boise St.	44.15	7	Wisconsin	32.75
Rushing Defense	36	123.50	Texas	62.15	6	Ohio St.	83.42
Pass Efficiency Defense	53	126.48	Alabama	88.81	6	Iowa	91.93
Total Defense	44	344.25	TCU	233.25	5	Ohio St.	262.50
Scoring Defense	48	23.33	Alabama	11.00	5	Penn St.	11.83
Net Punting	115	31.66	Georgia	42.84	11	Michigan	40.93
Punt Returns	90	6.58	LSU	18.64	9	Minnesota	14.67
Kickoff Returns	90	20.37	TCU	30.62	8	Michigan St.	26.66
Turnover Margin	T-31	.42	Rutgers	1.67	3	Ohio St.	1.33
Pass Defense	68	220.75	Air Force	148.67	7	Iowa	164.67
Passing Efficiency	51	131.99	Cincinnati	166.19	4	Michigan St.	146.09
Sacks	40	2.25	Pittsburgh	3.75	7	Penn St.	2.92
Tackles For Loss	86	5.17	Middle Tenn.	8.83	11	Penn St.	8.25
Sacks Allowed	T-88	2.42	Boise St.	.38	9	Michigan St.	1.08

Auburn (7-5) Breakdown

Category	National Rank	Actual	National Leader	Actual	Conf Rank	Southeastern Conference Leader	Actual
Rushing Offense	13	213.83	Nevada	362.25	4	Mississippi St.	227.58
Passing Offense	56	218.50	Houston	450.00	5	Arkansas	303.33
Total Offense	21	432.33	Houston	581.23	3	Florida	442.38
Scoring Offense	20	32.92	Boise St.	44.15	3	Arkansas	37.33
Rushing Defense	80	161.67	Texas	62.15	10	Alabama	77.92
Pass Efficiency Defense	27	113.62	Alabama	88.81	7	Alabama	88.81
Total Defense	51	353.50	TCU	233.25	8	Alabama	241.69
Scoring Defense	73	26.92	Alabama	11.00	12	Alabama	11.00
Net Punting	65	35.42	Georgia	42.84	7	Georgia	42.84
Punt Returns	113	4.46	LSU	18.64	12	LSU	18.64
Kickoff Returns	30	23.59	TCU	30.62	8	Florida	26.08
Turnover Margin	59	.00	Rutgers	1.67	8	Alabama	1.23
Pass Defense	28	191.83	Air Force	148.67	8	Florida	151.46
Passing Efficiency	18	146.04	Cincinnati	166.19	3	Florida	160.90
Sacks	48	2.08	Pittsburgh	3.75	7	Mississippi	2.83
Tackles For Loss	50	5.92	Middle Tenn.	8.83	7	Mississippi	7.67
Sacks Allowed	39	1.50	Boise St.	.38	6	Georgia	1.00

Preview by GTucker

When we finally awake on New Year's, the first game we will see is the Outback Bowl. Auburn has became accustomed to playing in bowl games to start off the new year, while this is something very unorthodox for Northwestern. Northwestern (8-4,5-3) will be playing for only the fourth time ever in school history on New Year's Day.

Both these teams seem to get it done the same way: a stifling offense, with a defense that can perform when necessary. Both teams' last game of the season puts it all in perspective. Auburn shutdown the soon-to-be Heisman Winner in Mark Ingram, and they almost upset the #1 team in the nation. As for Northwestern, they did perform an upset of #24 Wisconsin, and undoubtedly getting themselves to Tampa to play in the Outback Bowl. The Wildcats are looking for their second bowl win in school history, as they are 1-6 all time. Meanwhile, the Tigers come strolling in with a record of 19-13-2.

The Wildcats offense averaged 386 yards a game throughout the season, ranking 57th in the country. Breaking that number down even more, they passed the football right up there with the top teams in the nation with 282 yards a game, which ranked 29th. The passing attack had to be there with the lack of ability to run the football. One hundred-twenty yards won't get it done. That's a huge weakness and it could effect the outcome of the game.

Auburn's offensive attack, headed by the spread offense genius, Gus Malzahn, come in with a entirely different approach to the game. Malzahn's tricks helped his offense accumulate 432 total yards a game, ranking at 21st among the country. They definitely have a rushing attack. Senior Ben Tate and freshman Onterio McCaleb worked together for most of the season, leading the Tigers to a 13th overall ranking at 214 rushing yards a game. As for the passing game, it's not too bad either. Chris Todd came back from shoulder surgery and slung the ball across the field the entire season. With the way the running game went, 233 yards and a 53rd overall ranking isn't bad at all.

Now to the X-Factors:

Northwestern's offense revolves around one guy and it's very evident with his stats. Quarterback Mike Kafka is a do-it-all QB. This season, he threw for 12 TDs, along with 7 INTs. To add to those numbers, the guy has 7 rushing TDs, which leads Northwestern. The running game from the running backs haven't been there this season, so it seems that Kafka put it on himself to carry load; and that has been what he has done indeed. If he comes to play and is ready for Auburn's athletic defense, Kafka could easily lead his team to an Outback Bowl victory. However, he'll need some help coming from somewhere.

Andrew Brewer has been Kafka's favorite target throughout the year. He will have to step his game up against a very good Auburn secondary, lead by Walter McFadden. Brewer caught more than half of Kafka's TD passes with 7, so look for the two to try to hook up in the red zone. Brewer snagged 49 receptions for 792 yards, along with those 7 TDs during the season. He will be huge for the Wildcat offense.

This could be the most important factor to the game, besides which teams' defense steps up: production from the Northwestern backfield. Northwestern cannot feel good about the leader of their offense running the football and potentially taking some big hits from the defense. If the rushing attack can be just a bit successful, it could open the passing game more for Kafka.

Obviously, Auburn is going to try to get the running game opened up early with Ben Tate. If the ball is moved repeatedly by the Tigers, look forward to an easy stroll in the park for Auburn. The Northwestern defense is nothing to ride home about, and the last thing they need is a SEC power-back running around, over, and through them. He averaged 5.2 yards a carry this season, so if Northwestern can't stop him, they'll be in big trouble.

If Auburn wants to succeed, they will have to get some production from the receivers, most notably Darvin Adams and Terrell Zachery. As the season progressed, they seemed to improve and make themselves more available. The bottom line is this: if they can do well against SEC defenses, this should be a field day for the two of them. I'm sure Malzahn has came up with some tricks to use to utilize these guys even more, but they'll have to catch the football. They both have great stats: Adams- 48 receptions for 855 yards and 10 TDs; Zachery- 24 receptions for 466 yards and 5 TDs. In my opinion, I think they could torch the Wildcat D in this one.

Here's my biggest factor for Auburn: the all-around defense. They have some great players and leaders at each level on defense. Antonio Coleman heads the D-Line, and they will be coming after Mike Kafka. He better be ready to run. At the linebackers, you have Josh Bynes, or the Mark Ingram stopper. Bynes, along with the rest of the Tiger defense did a great job holding Heisman winner Mark Ingram in-check in the Iron Bowl. Bynes will try to confuse Kafka as much as he can, while coming after him and sitting back into coverage. Walter McFadden is the man in the secondary. Look for him to stay close to Brewer and make it tough on Kafka as he can easily return an interception for a TD.

Prediction

Not being a homer or anything, but I think Auburn will win this, but not by as much as experts think. The Northwestern offense will challenge the Tigers, but I think the difference will be the QB play and whichever defense can hold it's ground. Saying that, I have to go with my Tigers. The defense is way too athletic to let Kafka beat them by himself. Northwestern hs proved it can play defense as well, beating Wisconsin and Iowa, but this is the SEC. I'm not sure they can handle it. I also think that Gus Malzahn will play a huge part in this game. He'll have more and more tricks to showcase. I wouldn't be surprised if we saw some trickery on the first play of the game. Defensive coordinator Ted Roof, who was the head coach at Minnesota last year, knows Northwestern well enough to be prepared for what's coming. I say Auburn by 2 touchdowns.

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Capital One Bowl
VS

LSU (9-3) Breakdown

Category	National Rank	Actual	National Leader	Actual	Conf Rank	Southeastern Conference Leader	Actual
Rushing Offense	84	129.58	Nevada	362.25	11	Mississippi St.	227.58
Passing Offense	99	180.08	Houston	450.00	9	Arkansas	303.33
Total Offense	108	309.67	Houston	581.23	11	Florida	442.38
Scoring Offense	74	25.50	Boise St.	44.15	10	Arkansas	37.33
Rushing Defense	44	134.17	Texas	62.15	4	Alabama	77.92
Pass Efficiency Defense	18	107.98	Alabama	88.81	5	Alabama	88.81
Total Defense	28	326.58	TCU	233.25	6	Alabama	241.69
Scoring Defense	12	16.00	Alabama	11.00	3	Alabama	11.00
Net Punting	14	38.23	Georgia	42.84	3	Georgia	42.84
Punt Returns	1	18.64	LSU	18.64	1	LSU	18.64
Kickoff Returns	111	18.66	TCU	30.62	12	Florida	26.08
Turnover Margin	20	.58	Rutgers	1.67	3	Alabama	1.23
Pass Defense	29	192.42	Air Force	148.67	9	Florida	151.46
Passing Efficiency	49	132.03	Cincinnati	166.19	7	Florida	160.90
Sacks	T-78	1.67	Pittsburgh	3.75	8	Mississippi	2.83
Tackles For Loss	42	6.17	Middle Tenn.	8.83	6	Mississippi	7.67
Sacks Allowed	107	2.92	Boise St.	.38	12	Georgia	1.00

Penn State (10-2) Breakdown

Category	National Rank	Actual	National Leader	Actual	Conf Rank	Big Ten Conference Leader	Actual
Rushing Offense	38	173.58	Nevada	362.25	5	Wisconsin	206.67
Passing Offense	40	238.92	Houston	450.00	5	Michigan St.	271.17
Total Offense	36	412.50	Houston	581.23	2	Wisconsin	415.83
Scoring Offense	41	29.67	Boise St.	44.15	2	Wisconsin	32.75
Rushing Defense	10	93.92	Texas	62.15	3	Ohio St.	83.42
Pass Efficiency Defense	14	104.06	Alabama	88.81	3	Iowa	91.93
Total Defense	8	277.08	TCU	233.25	2	Ohio St.	262.50
Scoring Defense	4	11.83	Alabama	11.00	1	Penn St.	11.83
Net Punting	106	32.86	Georgia	42.84	10	Michigan	40.93
Punt Returns	107	4.88	LSU	18.64	10	Minnesota	14.67
Kickoff Returns	108	19.15	TCU	30.62	11	Michigan St.	26.66
Turnover Margin	T-46	.25	Rutgers	1.67	5	Ohio St.	1.33
Pass Defense	19	183.17	Air Force	148.67	3	Iowa	164.67
Passing Efficiency	21	144.48	Cincinnati	166.19	2	Michigan St.	146.09
Sacks	8	2.92	Pittsburgh	3.75	1	Penn St.	2.92
Tackles For Loss	6	8.25	Middle Tenn.	8.83	1	Penn St.	8.25
Sacks Allowed	T-27	1.33	Boise St.	.38	2	Michigan St.	1.08

---

Allstate Sugar Bowl
VS

Cincinnati (12-0) Breakdown

Category	National Rank	Actual	National Leader	Actual	Conf Rank	Big East Conference Leader	Actual
Rushing Offense	65	143.92	Nevada	362.25	5	Pittsburgh	184.58
Passing Offense	6	320.33	Houston	450.00	1	Cincinnati	320.33
Total Offense	6	464.25	Houston	581.23	1	Cincinnati	464.25
Scoring Offense	6	39.83	Boise St.	44.15	1	Cincinnati	39.83
Rushing Defense	56	141.00	Texas	62.15	7	Syracuse	101.83
Pass Efficiency Defense	40	119.27	Alabama	88.81	4	West Virginia	112.55
Total Defense	48	350.25	TCU	233.25	6	Rutgers	312.17
Scoring Defense	T-25	20.75	Alabama	11.00	3	Rutgers	17.42
Net Punting	108	32.76	Georgia	42.84	8	West Virginia	39.10
Punt Returns	19	13.00	LSU	18.64	1	Cincinnati	13.00
Kickoff Returns	2	29.20	TCU	30.62	1	Cincinnati	29.20
Turnover Margin	T-12	.75	Rutgers	1.67	2	Rutgers	1.67
Pass Defense	50	209.25	Air Force	148.67	4	South Fla.	191.00
Passing Efficiency	1	166.19	Cincinnati	166.19	1	Cincinnati	166.19
Sacks	T-8	2.92	Pittsburgh	3.75	2	Pittsburgh	3.75
Tackles For Loss	3	8.42	Middle Tenn.	8.83	2	Rutgers	8.50
Sacks Allowed	10	.92	Boise St.	.38	1	Cincinnati	.92

Florida (12-1) Breakdown

Category	National Rank	Actual	National Leader	Actual	Conf Rank	Southeastern Conference Leader	Actual
Rushing Offense	10	225.23	Nevada	362.25	2	Mississippi St.	227.58
Passing Offense	58	217.15	Houston	450.00	6	Arkansas	303.33
Total Offense	12	442.38	Houston	581.23	1	Florida	442.38
Scoring Offense	13	34.69	Boise St.	44.15	2	Arkansas	37.33
Rushing Defense	13	101.62	Texas	62.15	2	Alabama	77.92
Pass Efficiency Defense	5	93.91	Alabama	88.81	2	Alabama	88.81
Total Defense	4	253.08	TCU	233.25	2	Alabama	241.69
Scoring Defense	3	11.54	Alabama	11.00	2	Alabama	11.00
Net Punting	2	40.94	Georgia	42.84	2	Georgia	42.84
Punt Returns	77	7.63	LSU	18.64	10	LSU	18.64
Kickoff Returns	9	26.08	TCU	30.62	1	Florida	26.08
Turnover Margin	25	.54	Rutgers	1.67	4	Alabama	1.23
Pass Defense	3	151.46	Air Force	148.67	1	Florida	151.46
Passing Efficiency	5	160.90	Cincinnati	166.19	1	Florida	160.90
Sacks	20	2.69	Pittsburgh	3.75	2	Mississippi	2.83
Tackles For Loss	81	5.31	Middle Tenn.	8.83	10	Mississippi	7.67
Sacks Allowed	70	2.15	Boise St.	.38	10	Georgia	1.00

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AT&T Cotton Bowl
VS

Oklahoma State (9-3) Breakdown

Category	National Rank	Actual	National Leader	Actual	Conf Rank	Big 12 Conference Leader	Actual
Rushing Offense	24	191.75	Nevada	362.25	1	Oklahoma St.	191.75
Passing Offense	93	184.50	Houston	450.00	9	Texas Tech	380.67
Total Offense	62	376.25	Houston	581.23	7	Texas A&M	465.33
Scoring Offense	37	30.17	Boise St.	44.15	6	Texas	40.69
Rushing Defense	6	87.67	Texas	62.15	2	Texas	62.15
Pass Efficiency Defense	28	113.75	Alabama	88.81	4	Nebraska	90.54
Total Defense	33	329.92	TCU	233.25	4	Texas	251.08
Scoring Defense	T-36	21.75	Alabama	11.00	4	Nebraska	11.23
Net Punting	58	35.83	Georgia	42.84	5	Oklahoma	40.86
Punt Returns	17	13.08	LSU	18.64	3	Oklahoma	16.72
Kickoff Returns	116	18.42	TCU	30.62	12	Texas	27.38
Turnover Margin	54	.17	Rutgers	1.67	7	Texas	.92
Pass Defense	93	242.25	Air Force	148.67	8	Oklahoma	184.92
Passing Efficiency	42	135.12	Cincinnati	166.19	6	Texas	143.70
Sacks	48	2.08	Pittsburgh	3.75	9	Texas Tech	3.25
Tackles For Loss	51	5.83	Middle Tenn.	8.83	8	Texas	8.08
Sacks Allowed	5	.83	Boise St.	.38	1	Oklahoma St.	.83

Ole Miss (8-4) Breakdown

Category	National Rank	Actual	National Leader	Actual	Conf Rank	Southeastern Conference Leader	Actual
Rushing Offense	33	182.83	Nevada	362.25	6	Mississippi St.	227.58
Passing Offense	53	222.75	Houston	450.00	4	Arkansas	303.33
Total Offense	42	405.58	Houston	581.23	5	Florida	442.38
Scoring Offense	35	30.25	Boise St.	44.15	6	Arkansas	37.33
Rushing Defense	55	140.33	Texas	62.15	6	Alabama	77.92
Pass Efficiency Defense	15	105.10	Alabama	88.81	4	Alabama	88.81
Total Defense	24	319.33	TCU	233.25	5	Alabama	241.69
Scoring Defense	17	18.58	Alabama	11.00	4	Alabama	11.00
Net Punting	52	36.06	Georgia	42.84	5	Georgia	42.84
Punt Returns	76	7.75	LSU	18.64	9	LSU	18.64
Kickoff Returns	29	23.64	TCU	30.62	7	Florida	26.08
Turnover Margin	105	-.75	Rutgers	1.67	11	Alabama	1.23
Pass Defense	16	179.00	Air Force	148.67	6	Florida	151.46
Passing Efficiency	54	130.63	Cincinnati	166.19	8	Florida	160.90
Sacks	12	2.83	Pittsburgh	3.75	1	Mississippi	2.83
Tackles For Loss	10	7.67	Middle Tenn.	8.83	1	Mississippi	7.67
Sacks Allowed	21	1.17	Boise St.	.38	4	Georgia	1.00

Preview by RaleighRebel

I am still not over the Egg Bowl.  I keep thinking about disowning the Rebels in football...but dammit, I just can't do it.  In a season that started off with such high expectations, I tried to remain realistic.  However, 8 wins is less than I expected.  Oh well, 2 straight New Years Day bowls is not something that has been the norm in Oxford since the days of Johnny Vaught, so on to the preview...

 

This is a rematch of the 2003 Cotton Bowl, Eli Manning's last game in an Ole Miss uniform.  The Rebels prevailed that day, 31-28.  Will history repeat itself?

 

Ole Miss has played great and they have played awful, I am not sure which team is the real one.  Against Ark, UT, and LSU, they looked like the team that could challenge for the SEC West.  Against USCe, TSWNSNBS, Bama, and AU, they looked like a joke.  Snead has been so hit and miss.  The defense has been outstanding aside from 2 games.  McCluster and Hodge have been spectacular and consistent all season.  Which parts will come together on January 2^nd is yet to be seen.  Quick trivia for you: Who had better stats their JR year, Eli Manning or Snead?  Go look it up, you will be surprised...

 

Oklahoma State came into this season with the same lofty expectations as Ole Miss...they too crashed and burned.  Losing star WR Dez Bryant certainly did not help.  The Cowboys still had BCS hopes however, until they were dismantled by rival OU...without Sam Bradford.  OSU is stout against the run, and good against the pass as well.  They can run the football, and get it done through the air also when Robinson is on.  What was thought to be a weakness, OSU defense, turned out to be pretty good.  Sound familiar?  These 2 teams are nearly mirror images of one another.

 

This is a game of two teams with similar seasons, that had similar regular season endings.  At the end of the day, I think the Rebels are too disappointed to give it their best in this game.  The Seniors will be fine, but Snead will crack and the Defense will have too many holes in the ground game.

 

Oklahoma State – 34

Ole Miss - 28

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PapaJohns.com Bowl
VS

Connecticut (7-5) Breakdown

Category	National Rank	Actual	National Leader	Actual	Conf Rank	Big East Conference Leader	Actual
Rushing Offense	41	172.75	Nevada	362.25	3	Pittsburgh	184.58
Passing Offense	46	225.67	Houston	450.00	2	Cincinnati	320.33
Total Offense	47	398.42	Houston	581.23	3	Cincinnati	464.25
Scoring Offense	23	32.08	Boise St.	44.15	3	Cincinnati	39.83
Rushing Defense	48	137.58	Texas	62.15	5	Syracuse	101.83
Pass Efficiency Defense	104	143.45	Alabama	88.81	7	West Virginia	112.55
Total Defense	72	382.42	TCU	233.25	8	Rutgers	312.17
Scoring Defense	60	25.00	Alabama	11.00	6	Rutgers	17.42
Net Punting	22	37.68	Georgia	42.84	2	West Virginia	39.10
Punt Returns	31	11.53	LSU	18.64	2	Cincinnati	13.00
Kickoff Returns	10	26.00	TCU	30.62	2	Cincinnati	29.20
Turnover Margin	54	.17	Rutgers	1.67	4	Rutgers	1.67
Pass Defense	94	244.83	Air Force	148.67	8	South Fla.	191.00
Passing Efficiency	61	129.20	Cincinnati	166.19	5	Cincinnati	166.19
Sacks	29	2.50	Pittsburgh	3.75	5	Pittsburgh	3.75
Tackles For Loss	73	5.42	Middle Tenn.	8.83	8	Rutgers	8.50
Sacks Allowed	48	1.67	Boise St.	.38	4	Cincinnati	.92

South Carolina (7-5) Breakdown

Category	National Rank	Actual	National Leader	Actual	Conf Rank	Southeastern Conference Leader	Actual
Rushing Offense	91	125.00	Nevada	362.25	12	Mississippi St.	227.58
Passing Offense	43	234.25	Houston	450.00	2	Arkansas	303.33
Total Offense	76	359.25	Houston	581.23	9	Florida	442.38
Scoring Offense	96	21.75	Boise St.	44.15	11	Arkansas	37.33
Rushing Defense	46	137.00	Texas	62.15	5	Alabama	77.92
Pass Efficiency Defense	29	114.11	Alabama	88.81	8	Alabama	88.81
Total Defense	15	304.67	TCU	233.25	3	Alabama	241.69
Scoring Defense	22	20.42	Alabama	11.00	5	Alabama	11.00
Net Punting	93	33.85	Georgia	42.84	11	Georgia	42.84
Punt Returns	65	8.43	LSU	18.64	7	LSU	18.64
Kickoff Returns	66	21.55	TCU	30.62	10	Florida	26.08
Turnover Margin	75	-.25	Rutgers	1.67	9	Alabama	1.23
Pass Defense	12	167.67	Air Force	148.67	5	Florida	151.46
Passing Efficiency	71	125.74	Cincinnati	166.19	9	Florida	160.90
Sacks	40	2.25	Pittsburgh	3.75	5	Mississippi	2.83
Tackles For Loss	37	6.42	Middle Tenn.	8.83	5	Mississippi	7.67
Sacks Allowed	104	2.83	Boise St.	.38	11	Georgia	1.00

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AutoZone Liberty Bowl
VS

East Carolina (9-4) Breakdown

Category	National Rank	Actual	National Leader	Actual	Conf Rank	Conference USA Conference Leader	Actual
Rushing Offense	59	149.62	Nevada	362.25	6	UAB	229.92
Passing Offense	57	218.00	Houston	450.00	6	Houston	450.00
Total Offense	68	367.62	Houston	581.23	8	Houston	581.23
Scoring Offense	56	27.77	Boise St.	44.15	6	Houston	43.92
Rushing Defense	35	123.31	Texas	62.15	3	UCF	82.50
Pass Efficiency Defense	57	128.10	Alabama	88.81	2	SMU	122.07
Total Defense	75	385.62	TCU	233.25	2	UCF	348.08
Scoring Defense	39	22.08	Alabama	11.00	2	UCF	20.67
Net Punting	7	39.35	Georgia	42.84	1	East Carolina	39.35
Punt Returns	24	12.38	LSU	18.64	4	SMU	14.53
Kickoff Returns	32	23.40	TCU	30.62	4	Southern Miss.	26.09
Turnover Margin	8	1.00	Rutgers	1.67	1	East Carolina	1.00
Pass Defense	110	262.31	Air Force	148.67	7	Tulane	218.00
Passing Efficiency	83	122.27	Cincinnati	166.19	9	Houston	159.56
Sacks	53	2.00	Pittsburgh	3.75	4	UCF	3.08
Tackles For Loss	27	6.69	Middle Tenn.	8.83	3	UCF	7.58
Sacks Allowed	9	.85	Boise St.	.38	1	East Carolina	.85

Arkansas (7-5) Breakdown

Category	National Rank	Actual	National Leader	Actual	Conf Rank	Southeastern Conference Leader	Actual
Rushing Offense	78	136.00	Nevada	362.25	10	Mississippi St.	227.58
Passing Offense	10	303.33	Houston	450.00	1	Arkansas	303.33
Total Offense	14	439.33	Houston	581.23	2	Florida	442.38
Scoring Offense	8	37.33	Boise St.	44.15	1	Arkansas	37.33
Rushing Defense	67	150.08	Texas	62.15	9	Alabama	77.92
Pass Efficiency Defense	100	140.95	Alabama	88.81	12	Alabama	88.81
Total Defense	90	401.83	TCU	233.25	12	Alabama	241.69
Scoring Defense	62	25.75	Alabama	11.00	9	Alabama	11.00
Net Punting	112	32.34	Georgia	42.84	12	Georgia	42.84
Punt Returns	69	8.31	LSU	18.64	8	LSU	18.64
Kickoff Returns	16	24.52	TCU	30.62	4	Florida	26.08
Turnover Margin	6	1.08	Rutgers	1.67	2	Alabama	1.23
Pass Defense	104	251.75	Air Force	148.67	12	Florida	151.46
Passing Efficiency	9	154.39	Cincinnati	166.19	2	Florida	160.90
Sacks	46	2.17	Pittsburgh	3.75	6	Mississippi	2.83
Tackles For Loss	26	6.75	Middle Tenn.	8.83	4	Mississippi	7.67
Sacks Allowed	T-62	2.00	Boise St.	.38	8	Georgia	1.00

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Citi BCS National Title Game
VS

Alabama (13-0) Breakdown

Category	National Rank	Actual	National Leader	Actual	Conf Rank	Southeastern Conference Leader	Actual
Rushing Offense	12	215.85	Nevada	362.25	3	Mississippi St.	227.58
Passing Offense	84	197.92	Houston	450.00	8	Arkansas	303.33
Total Offense	35	413.77	Houston	581.23	4	Florida	442.38
Scoring Offense	26	31.69	Boise St.	44.15	4	Arkansas	37.33
Rushing Defense	2	77.92	Texas	62.15	1	Alabama	77.92
Pass Efficiency Defense	1	88.81	Alabama	88.81	1	Alabama	88.81
Total Defense	2	241.69	TCU	233.25	1	Alabama	241.69
Scoring Defense	1	11.00	Alabama	11.00	1	Alabama	11.00
Net Punting	80	34.71	Georgia	42.84	8	Georgia	42.84
Punt Returns	5	15.78	LSU	18.64	2	LSU	18.64
Kickoff Returns	12	24.97	TCU	30.62	2	Florida	26.08
Turnover Margin	5	1.23	Rutgers	1.67	1	Alabama	1.23
Pass Defense	7	163.77	Air Force	148.67	2	Florida	151.46
Passing Efficiency	31	140.81	Cincinnati	166.19	4	Florida	160.90
Sacks	35	2.38	Pittsburgh	3.75	3	Mississippi	2.83
Tackles For Loss	19	7.00	Middle Tenn.	8.83	3	Mississippi	7.67
Sacks Allowed	19	1.15	Boise St.	.38	3	Georgia	1.00

Texas (13-0) Breakdown

Category	National Rank	Actual	National Leader	Actual	Conf Rank	Big 12 Conference Leader	Actual
Rushing Offense	55	152.69	Nevada	362.25	5	Oklahoma St.	191.75
Passing Offense	14	279.69	Houston	450.00	4	Texas Tech	380.67
Total Offense	20	432.38	Houston	581.23	3	Texas A&M	465.33
Scoring Offense	3	40.69	Boise St.	44.15	1	Texas	40.69
Rushing Defense	1	62.15	Texas	62.15	1	Texas	62.15
Pass Efficiency Defense	11	101.25	Alabama	88.81	3	Nebraska	90.54
Total Defense	3	251.08	TCU	233.25	1	Texas	251.08
Scoring Defense	8	15.15	Alabama	11.00	3	Nebraska	11.23
Net Punting	97	33.70	Georgia	42.84	11	Oklahoma	40.86
Punt Returns	15	13.17	LSU	18.64	2	Oklahoma	16.72
Kickoff Returns	4	27.38	TCU	30.62	1	Texas	27.38
Turnover Margin	9	.92	Rutgers	1.67	1	Texas	.92
Pass Defense	23	188.92	Air Force	148.67	2	Oklahoma	184.92
Passing Efficiency	23	143.70	Cincinnati	166.19	1	Texas	143.70
Sacks	7	3.00	Pittsburgh	3.75	4	Texas Tech	3.25
Tackles For Loss	7	8.08	Middle Tenn.	8.83	1	Texas	8.08
Sacks Allowed	81	2.31	Boise St.	.38	8	Oklahoma St.	.83

Preview by Klink

It’s finally here, the National Championship Game at the Rose Bowl.  This is a clash of traditional powerhouses.  This is a game with two of the best coaches in college football will meet.  This is a game with a Heisman winner, and a two time Heisman finalist. This is a game with 9 All-Americans. This is what college football should be. The #1 Alabama Crimson Tide will square off with the #2 Texas Longhorns on Thursday, and you should be ready for a hell of a game.

Texas Offense vs. Alabama Defense

The two teams that gave Texas and QB Colt McCoy the most trouble were Nebraska and Oklahoma. One of the ways they accomplished this was with a lot of matchup-zone coverage, which disrupted much of Texas’ dink-and-dunk passing game.  Expect to see Kirby Smart call many of the same coverages, trying to take away the short-intermediate zones, where McCoy has been most effective.  By limiting the Texas wide receivers ability to get separation, the Tide will attempt to take McCoy out of his comfort zone as one of the most effective passers in college football history.

Expect Rolando McClain of the Tide to play a huge role in coverage, as he has all year. The Butkus Award winner is one of the best coverage linebackers in the country, and plays a dual role on pass defense. His first responsibility is the underneath middle in zone coverage.  Then, if the pocket begins collapsing, he turns up the heat in a delayed spy role, looking for any running creases that might open up and attacking the quarterback when he looks to run with the ball. He excelled in these roles against Virginia Tech’s Tyrod Taylor and Florida’s Tim Tebow earlier in the year, and will attempt to do the same against McCoy

The most effective way for Texas to slow down Alabama’s aggressive scheme is to attack early on trying to burn the Tide deep.  Texas wide receiver  Jordan Shipley is the Longhorns’ most versatile threat, but expect Texas to try to work their other wide receivers Malcolm Williams, James Kirkendoll, Maquise Goodwin, and Dan Buckner deep as well.  Williams has proven to be the most consistent deep threat for Texas, and may be able to stretch the field if Alabama gets greedy.

Alabama Offense vs. Texas Offense

Texas Defensive Coordinator Will Muschamp is a Saban disciple, and does a great job disguising fronts, coverages, and blitzes.  This could prove tricking for the Alabama offensive line and quarterback Greg McElroy. The flexibility of two Texas defenders, defensive end Sergio Kindle and safety Earl Thomas, will allow Texas to switch formations easily without making personnel changes. Kindle is a natural end, but is also adept at linebacker when called upon, while Thomas has shown that he is just as effective in deep middle zone coverage as he is working man-to-man with slot receivers, as well as being able to sneak into the box to support the run defense. It could be difficult for the Tide early in the game to really know what to expect from the Longhorns.

Alabama running back Mark Ingram will get most of his touches on the ground, but may also be more involved than usual in the passing game. He is extremely effective on screens (see the 69 yard gain against Florida), but can also be used on flare and angle routes out of the backfield.   If the Longhorns get overly aggressive, these routes could prove useful in burning them, especially on third and long situations.  Backup running back Trent Richardson could very well be just as good as Ingram, and expect him to get plenty of carries as well.

Although when people think about the Alabama wide receivers, the first name that comes to mind is wide receiver Julio Jones, it’s actually wide receiver Marquis Maze that Texas should be most worried about.  While opponents have been cheating safeties up into the box to try to limit the rushing attack, or rolling a safety over top to limit the big play to Jones, Maze is often left in single coverage.   Expect Maze to get the ball on bubble screens, as well as coming out of the slot on the same side of the field with Jones.  He’ll also get quick slants and outs on the opposite side of the field as Jones, and possibly the occasional deep post or out and up.

Final Thought

There really isn’t much of a talent gap between these teams.  Both have been very effective using their style of play, which are pretty different styles.  Alabama’s offense is run first, while Texas uses the passing game more, and that has worked for both teams this season.  In the end, it may be Texas’ less than stellar rushing attack and predictability on offense that will hurt them.  Against the best defenses they faced in Oklahoma and Nebraska, they were challenged to win by using the vertical passing game, and the Longhorns struggled to do so, putting up 16 and 13 points respectively.   Saban and Smart have had over a month to game plan on defense, and this will be the best unit that Texas has faced all season.   In the second half, expect Alabama’s powerful rushing attack to take over the game and earn the Crimson Tide their first BCS National Championship.

Prediction

Alabama 27  Texas 17