Oregon Ducks @ Auburn Tigers Tostitos BCS National Championship Game Pick

Oregon Ducks @ Auburn Tigers Tostitos BCS National Championship Game Pick: Both Title Contenders are undefeated. They are ranked 1 and 2 in every single human poll there is. This is when the BCS is at it’s happiest, but the system still sucks. So even without drama the bowl-system is a joke? Yep. Just think about how terrible it would be if the Falcons and Patriots were selected to play in the Super Bowl because they had the most impressive regular seasons. We could throw every team with a .500 record into one more “post-season” game and everything would be great. We could get the Bucs and Giants to play each-other in the “Fat-Free Chocolate Milk Not Good Enough Bowl” and maybe we could make an exception for the Seahwaks because, let’s be honest, they wouldn’t be bowl-eligible. That might be the one case where the bowl-system has it right. Here’s to a future without the BP Cleanup Super Bowl….

But on to the game, because it should be a great one. Auburn is hyped as the better team, which is interesting because the Ducks ran through the Pac-10 and beat a team like Stanford, who arguably is as good as any other team in the Nation. They are more explosive than even Auburn, scoring a touchdown more per game than the Tigers (though both put up 40+ on average).

The Ducks are better defensively as well. Auburn may have Nick Fairley, one of if not the most dominant defensive lineman in college football, but the Ducks give up a 6 points less per game than Auburn. Auburn is a Top 10 run defense, but Oregon looks to have the better team defense, 23rd in total yards, 19th in rushing yards, 12th in points allowed. I don’t know if Auburn’s talented run defense can stop the Ducks consistently. So far this season, or at least in the last 10 games, Auburn has yet to be out-gained on the ground. From September 25th through the Georgia game on November 13th, the Tigers out-rushed every opponent by at least 125 yards, and against everyone besides Mississippi, they were at least +190 on the ground. If they can stop the Ducks, and continue to put up impressive ground numbers, they will win this game.

But I’ll have to go with Oregon in the National Championship. It comes down to Auburn starting slow in big games. Alabama, LSU, South Carolina – I don’t think they’ll be able to catch up against Oregon if they start slow.

#2 Oregon Ducks (+3) @ #1 Auburn Tigers