Texas, Alabama bring their best to BCS
The Longhorns' last trip to Pasadena produced a college gridiron classic with their 41-38 win over USC for the 2005 BCS Championship. Colt McCoy and No. 2 Texas hope the end result is the same again this time when they meet No. 1 Alabama on Thursday night at the Rose Bowl. The two defenses are getting much of the pregame hype, and deservedly so, for the contest that kicks off at 8:00 p.m. (ET) on ABC.
Defenders of the much-maligned Bowl Championship Series got a victory of sorts when Boise State defeated TCU 17-10 as seven-point underdogs in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl on Monday night.
Leaving aside that the Broncos-Horned Frogs matchup was the first BCS Bowl between two non-BCS schools, Texas Christian’s loss reinforced what the old guard has been saying all season: Yes, the Frogs are undefeated, but wait until they take on a real team come January.
Nevermind that Boise State is a less-ballyhooed program than TCU and last season’s unbeaten Mountain West champion, Utah, waxed SEC runner-up Alabama in last year’s Sugar Bowl.
I’m all for integrating a national playoff system into college football, but you have to give credit for the organic progression of the BCS this season. Both the Broncos and Frogs made the BCS – something that would have been unheard of even two years ago.
Another thing the BCS got right this year was the National Championship Game, which features undoubtedly the two best teams in the country for the first time since Texas and USC threw down in Pasadena in 2006.
What strikes me about the showdown at the Rose Bowl between the Longhorns (13-0, 5-7-1 ATS) and Crimson Tide (13-0, 8-5 ATS) is how Texas has effectively coasted through much of the season.
Preseason perception means a lot in college football, and the Longhorns have certainly benefited from that. I know all about the Big 12 North tiebreaker rules, but Texas essentially got the shaft when it watched rival Oklahoma go to the BCS title game last season even after it beat the Sooners at the Cotton Bowl earlier in the year.
Because of that, the Longhorns needed only to keep their head above water to make it to Pasadena this season. To its credit, Texas played its part well, going undefeated in a down-year for the Big 12.
Much is made of the Longhorns’ last second 13-12 escape against Nebraska (+14) in the Big 12 championship game at Cowboys Stadium, but my guess is they were going to the Rose Bowl regardless of the outcome.
Outside of their win over the Cornhuskers, Texas’ only other victory that sticks out is its 41-14 pasting of Oklahoma State as nine-point road chalk on Halloween. Keep in mind the Longhorns (-3) barely slipped past the Sooners 16-13 at the Cotton Bowl, even though an injured Sam Bradford didn’t even make it out of the first quarter.
Outside of those games, Texas hasn’t played any school of significance. Alabama, on the other hand, has a much stronger rap sheet, and that what makes it the sharp play against the spread on Thursday night.
The Tide are coming off a comprehensive thrashing of then-No. 1 Florida in the SEC championship game at the Georgia Dome, where they racked up 251 yards rushing in a 32-13 win over the Gators as 4 ½-point pups. ‘Bama also has SU and ATS victories over LSU, Ole Miss, and Virginia Tech, which it dropped 34-24 as six-point faves in Atlanta back in Week 1.
I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the ‘Horns covered against the Tide, only that the smart play has to be on the favorites. After all, Texas comes into the game ranked third in scoring offense (40.7 points per game), third in defense (251.1 YPG), eighth in scoring defense (15.2 PPG), and most importantly – first against the run (62.3 YPG).
That said, you’d be foolish to put your money on a team that barely got past Nebraska when the alternative is an Alabama school that just snapped Florida’s 22-game SU winning streak – by 19 points, no less.
The Tide have the second-ranked defense (241.8 YPG) in the nation, and are also second against the run (78.1 YPG) and second in scoring defense (11.0 PPG).
Colt McCoy and the Texas air attack will challenge Alabama’s secondary, but I like the Tide’s chances against the Longhorns. McCoy went 20-of-36 for 184 yards with three interceptions against the Huskers, and will face a similar tough test from the Tide and their vaunted pass rush.
The Longhorns' last trip to Pasadena produced a college gridiron classic with their 41-38 win over USC for the 2005 BCS Championship. Colt McCoy and No. 2 Texas hope the end result is the same again this time when they meet No. 1 Alabama on Thursday night at the Rose Bowl. The two defenses are getting much of the pregame hype, and deservedly so, for the contest that kicks off at 8:00 p.m. (ET) on ABC.
Defenders of the much-maligned Bowl Championship Series got a victory of sorts when Boise State defeated TCU 17-10 as seven-point underdogs in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl on Monday night.
Leaving aside that the Broncos-Horned Frogs matchup was the first BCS Bowl between two non-BCS schools, Texas Christian’s loss reinforced what the old guard has been saying all season: Yes, the Frogs are undefeated, but wait until they take on a real team come January.
Nevermind that Boise State is a less-ballyhooed program than TCU and last season’s unbeaten Mountain West champion, Utah, waxed SEC runner-up Alabama in last year’s Sugar Bowl.
I’m all for integrating a national playoff system into college football, but you have to give credit for the organic progression of the BCS this season. Both the Broncos and Frogs made the BCS – something that would have been unheard of even two years ago.
Another thing the BCS got right this year was the National Championship Game, which features undoubtedly the two best teams in the country for the first time since Texas and USC threw down in Pasadena in 2006.
What strikes me about the showdown at the Rose Bowl between the Longhorns (13-0, 5-7-1 ATS) and Crimson Tide (13-0, 8-5 ATS) is how Texas has effectively coasted through much of the season.
Preseason perception means a lot in college football, and the Longhorns have certainly benefited from that. I know all about the Big 12 North tiebreaker rules, but Texas essentially got the shaft when it watched rival Oklahoma go to the BCS title game last season even after it beat the Sooners at the Cotton Bowl earlier in the year.
Because of that, the Longhorns needed only to keep their head above water to make it to Pasadena this season. To its credit, Texas played its part well, going undefeated in a down-year for the Big 12.
Much is made of the Longhorns’ last second 13-12 escape against Nebraska (+14) in the Big 12 championship game at Cowboys Stadium, but my guess is they were going to the Rose Bowl regardless of the outcome.
Outside of their win over the Cornhuskers, Texas’ only other victory that sticks out is its 41-14 pasting of Oklahoma State as nine-point road chalk on Halloween. Keep in mind the Longhorns (-3) barely slipped past the Sooners 16-13 at the Cotton Bowl, even though an injured Sam Bradford didn’t even make it out of the first quarter.
Outside of those games, Texas hasn’t played any school of significance. Alabama, on the other hand, has a much stronger rap sheet, and that what makes it the sharp play against the spread on Thursday night.
The Tide are coming off a comprehensive thrashing of then-No. 1 Florida in the SEC championship game at the Georgia Dome, where they racked up 251 yards rushing in a 32-13 win over the Gators as 4 ½-point pups. ‘Bama also has SU and ATS victories over LSU, Ole Miss, and Virginia Tech, which it dropped 34-24 as six-point faves in Atlanta back in Week 1.
I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the ‘Horns covered against the Tide, only that the smart play has to be on the favorites. After all, Texas comes into the game ranked third in scoring offense (40.7 points per game), third in defense (251.1 YPG), eighth in scoring defense (15.2 PPG), and most importantly – first against the run (62.3 YPG).
That said, you’d be foolish to put your money on a team that barely got past Nebraska when the alternative is an Alabama school that just snapped Florida’s 22-game SU winning streak – by 19 points, no less.
The Tide have the second-ranked defense (241.8 YPG) in the nation, and are also second against the run (78.1 YPG) and second in scoring defense (11.0 PPG).
Colt McCoy and the Texas air attack will challenge Alabama’s secondary, but I like the Tide’s chances against the Longhorns. McCoy went 20-of-36 for 184 yards with three interceptions against the Huskers, and will face a similar tough test from the Tide and their vaunted pass rush.
but spend your time on SBR correcting/bashing picks after the fact
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