BCS Championship

We're just hours away from the much ballyhooed BCS Championship Game between the Ducks of Oregon and the Tigers of Auburn.

Both teams are undefeated this year and carry their perfect records into the contest. Current #1 Auburn is 13-0 (due to the SEC Championship Game) while #2 Oregon is 12-0.

Both teams have remarkable offenses although Auburn depends more heavily upon its Heisman Trophy winning quarterback, Cam Newton. The Ducks' Darron Thomas perhaps has a better cast surrounding him and makes split second decisions with a speed that would make a fighter pilot jealous. That he is usually correct is astounding.

The Ducks typically spend less time on offense than their opponents...because they run their plays and score so quickly. Watching them on the go is like watching a series of sprint races...with no time between heats. This leaves little time for the opponents defense to make substitutions and frequently catches them off guard. That's not likely to happen tonight, although the Tigers may need oxygen when the get off the field.

This game will depend upon the defenses and special teams. Can the defense stop the high powered offense of the opposition? Can the defense create turnovers? Can the special teams--particularly the return teams--give the offense a short field with which to work?

As much as I would like to see the Oregon Ducks come out on top, I think the size of Auburn's defense could spell the difference. They won't be able to completely shut down the Ducks, but they should be able to do enough.

Auburn wins tonight. Tigers 41, Ducks 35.