It’s finally here, #1 vs. #2. SEC vs. SEC. Bama vs. LSU. 

Honestly, I’m sure it’s going to be a good game. Probably one of the better games, but I honestly just don’t care much about it. 

If Bama wins, what will it solve? Nothing, really. If LSU wins, it’ll just validate what they did two months ago. So there’s not much to be gained from this for either side.

Sorry for the lack of posting, despite it being Bowl Season. I’ve been enjoying the holidays and I really haven’t been on the computer much lately. First, I just want to say how awesome it was watching Kellen Moore win his 50th game and. And it was awesome last night watching Baylor and Washington light up the score board. Even though these games are like exhibitions, they’re still fun to watch. Okay, so now for the big game predictions:

• Fiesta Bowl - Oklahoma State over Stanford. 

I’ve been supporting OK State all season, and I don’t plan on stopping now. This is an intriguing 3 vs. 4 matchup. It’ll be interesting to see how Luck performs as he prepares for the upcoming draft. Having the Heisman snatched from him 2 years in a row, I’ll expect him to play angry.

• Rose Bowl - Oregon over Wisconsin

I have Oregon because of the depth and the speed. I really thought they had what it took to beat Auburn last year, and I thought they had what it took to go back to the NC game this season, but fell short in week 1. I think they’ve adjusted as the season went on. But, we’ve also seen in the past that when teams have time to prepare for them, they don’t do so well (Ohio State, LSU, Auburn, Boise State). This one will be a lot of fun.

• Sugar Bowl - Virginia Tech over Michigan

I don’t even know if I’ll be watching this game or not to be honest. It’s just a prime example that the BCS needs to be reformed. But pertaining to the matchup itself, I think VT will get it done. In big time BCS games, coaching is extremely important and Beamer has been here before, where Hoke has not.

• Orange Bowl - Clemson over West Virginia

I think that the few weeks off will give Clemson some time to recharge and focus on this game. To say the least, West Virginia has underperformed despite the talent they have. They’ll be looking to finish up their time in the Big East with a big win, but Clemson has too much to play for, since conference championships and BCS bids aren’t something they achieve every other year. They’ll have to make the most of this rare opportunity.

• National Championship Game - Alabama over LSU

They should have won the first meeting. I know that LSU has all the momentum in the world going into this game, but I think Alabama is better defensively. I think that Jordan Jefferson has made more and more mistakes as the season has gone on, and unless he plays his absolute best, he’s going to have trouble. The uncertainty at the QB position is enough for me to take Bama in this one. Maybe, just maybe, they can hit a field goal or two.

I’m going to outline all of my conference predictions and as we get closer to the season opener I’ll break it down conference by conference. But for now, I’ll give you my National Championship match-up: Nebraska vs. Stanford. 

The USC Trojans just lost their 2004 National Championship. At first, I didn’t realize how big of a deal this was until I saw that the NCAA hasn’t done this in the poll era (according to ESPN’s bottom line). But the worst part about all of this, to me, is Auburn. That NC game took place with undefeated Auburn watching at home. They never got their shot, and the team that took it gets stripped. Let’s just add this to the list of reasons why we need playoffs. Who knows. USC possibly could have won that playoff and be in the same predicament. But maybe not.

That’s all that college football needs. More hype that the SEC is this unstoppable beast just waiting around for whoever the Cartel decides to play against them in the National Championship. I’ve never hated the SEC more than I have this year. 

It’s all about the pace of the game. Auburn has had to come from behind in all of their key victories. Their opponents have worn out. They can’t get by with that tonight. When every other team in the nation is wearing out, Oregon is just getting comfortable. I think Auburn will underestimate the passing attack of Thomas as well. I think this is one of the more even match-ups in recent memory, so I’m not saying there’s no chance Auburn will win, or that Oregon is superior in every way, but I just have a good feeling about Oregon. 

I think hope that this is going to be a Championship to remember. It’s going to come down to two separate match-ups, if you ask me. 

The first one is going to be how Nick Fairly & company do against the hurry-up offense and the running attack of LaMicheal James as well as the passing attack of Darron Thomas. Despite how much points Auburn has allowed their opponents to score a ton, Fairly has been able to get to the quarterback when it has most counted. The best runner that Auburn has faced this year was South Carolina’s Marcus Lattimore. In their first game against Lattimore, he was held to 33 yards rushing on 15 carries. So yes, they might be able to keep James in check. 

The second match-up to watch will be Casey Matthews vs. Cam Newton. Matthews is the leading tackler on Oregon’s (very underrated) defense. He’s been one of the best at the position all season long (the only LB I would rather have over him is Tank Carder). He has the speed to get to Newton, but the question is, will he? If he can at least make Newton throw before he wants to, he might can force turnovers from the Heisman winner. Oregon’s defense has been one of the best teams at forcing turnovers. 

So what do I expect? Well, certainly Newton will make some good plays and won’t be dominated completely, if at all. But I’m giving the edge to Oregon’s offense. I think they will ware down Auburn’s front line during the game. 

National Championship - Auburn vs. Oregon 

Rose Bowl - Wisconsin vs. TCU

Fiesta Bowl - Nebraska/Oklahoma vs. Stanford 

Orange Bowl - Ohio State vs. Virginia Tech 

Sugar Bowl - Arkansas vs. UCONN/West Virginia