BCS Hysteria: No. 1 vs. No. 2
Happy New Year! After recovering from the weekend’s New Year festivities, we glide through the end of the bowl season. A few more bowls are appetizers for the tune-up that is the January 9 Alabama/LSU rematch for all the marbles.
Cotton Bowl (Fri., Jan., 6): The all-running team against the all-passing one…and a pair of dynamite scoring offenses. Kansas State (10-2 SU, 9-2 ATS) is not flashy, with a ground game carrying the offense (33.1 points, 193.7 yards rushing), as the poor passing game is 109th in the nation behind 6-foot-5 junior QB Collin Klein (12 TDs, 5 INTs, 1,745 yards), a better runner. He leads the team with 1,099 yards rushing and 26 TDs, along with 5-7 sophomore RB John Hubert (933 yards, 5.0 ypc). They have overachieved for Coach Bill Snyder. K-State is on a 15-6 run over the total. The Wildcats are 7-1 ATS in their last 8 games as an underdog.
Arkansas (10-2 SU, 6-5 ATS) has a wide open passing game for coach Bobby Petrino behind junior Tyler Wilson (22 TDs, 6 INTs, 3,422 yards), averaging 37.4 points and 307.8 yards passing (13th in the nation). He has experienced targets to throw to in senior WRs Joe Adams (630 yards) and 6-3 WR Jarius Wright (1,029 yards). Arkansas is on a 14-4 run over the total and 16-2 SU/12-5 ATS its last 17 games. The under is 8-0 in Razorbacks last 8 bowl games.
BCS Championship Game (Mon., Jan., 9): Here they go again! The SEC has won the last 5 national titles and will win again. Defense is the story (and revenge), with Bama No. 1 in points allowed (8.8) and LSU No. 2 (10.5). Alabama (11-1 SU, 8-3 ATS) has junior RB Trent Richardson (1,583 yds, 6.0 ypc), along with sophomore RB Eddie Lacy (631, 7.5 ypc) on another powerhouse team for Nick Saban. Sophomore QBs A.J. McCarron (16 TDs, 5 INTs) runs this balanced attack averaging 36 points, 213.6 yards passing, 219.8 yards rushing. The defense is sensational, yet they botched their first showdown at home with No. 1 LSU, a stunning 9-6 OT defeat. 3 missed field goals, 2 crushing turnovers and countless missed opportunities and poor execution cost them. They held LSU to 234 total yards and forced 2 turnovers. Bama is 21-10-1 under the total in their last 31 conference games.
No. 1 LSU (13-0 SU, 10-3 ATS) has a ton of talent, especially on defense. Senior QB Jarrett Lee (14 TDs, 3 INTs) has been very good, though the ground game leads the way behind soph RBs Spencer Ware (700 yds, 4.0 ypc) and Mike Ford (755, 6.1 ypc), a dynamic one-two backfield punch, averaging 38 ppg, 209 yards rushing and 167 passing. 6-4 junior WR Rueben Randle (904 yards) can stretch defenses averaging 18.1 yards per catch (though he caught only 2 passes in the first meeting against Bama). The Tigers are 8-1 ATS vs. a team with a winning record.
This article was written by Jim Feist
