BCS Championship Game: FSU vs Auburn
The BCS National Championship Game is fast approaching. The #1 and undefeated Florida State Seminoles will take on the #2 Auburn Tigers for the final BCS National Championship. This might be the last time we see what were the best two teams all season play for the national championship. Once the playoffs start, there is a chance that the best team will get beaten before they reach the final game, so enjoy this one folks.
The SEC has won every one of these games since the Florida Gators downed the Ohio State Buckeyes in the 2006 season. If the tigers can win that would give the SEC eight championships in a row and 10 of the 16 BCS National Championships. The first BCS season was 1998 and that title was won by the Tennessee Volunteers over the Seminoles. How appropriate would it be for the SEC to go out on top with a win over FSU? The Noles won the second BCS title in 1999 when they went unbeaten and beat the Virginia Tech Hokies. Auburn won it in 2010 with a win over the Oregon Ducks. So the winner of this game will join the Alabama Crimson Tide, LSU Tigers and the Gators as multiple BCS champs. The Tide will go out as the all time champion with three BCS titles (2009, 2011 and 2012).
So who wins this one? That is a very good question. No matter which team you pull for, there are good signs coming into the big game for you. For instance, every BCS game so far has been won by the underdog. The Michigan State Spartans were +14 in the Rose Bowl against the Stanford Cardinal. The Spartans won the game. The UCF Knights were +17 in the Fiesta Bowl with the Baylor Bears. Knights win 52-42. The Oklahoma Sooners were +16.5 against Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. Sooners win by two touchdowns 45-31. And in the Orange Bowl the Clemson Tigers at +3 beat the Buckeyes 40-35. Advantage Auburn.
But, looking at those same results from the FSU perspective we see a Florida team has already won a BCS game (UCF) and an ACC team has already won a BCS game (Clemson) while the SEC and the state of Alabama has already lost a BCS game (Alabama). Advantage Noles.
So what else do we have to go by? The two teams strength of schedule is clearly in favor of the Tigers. There is no comparison in playing an ACC schedule to a SEC slate. Auburn had wins over the Tide, the Georgia Bulldogs, the Texas A&M Aggies, the Missouri Tigers, the Ole Miss Rebels, the Mississippi State Bulldogs, etc. All of those teams played in bowl games and four of the six won.
FSU did beat Clemson who is a BCS winner. They also beat the Boston College Eagles, the Miami Hurricanes and the Duke Blue Devils. The bad news is other than Clemson, the others lost. Also the Blue Devils and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets from the ACC lost to SEC teams. Advantage Auburn.
But here is one huge advantage for FSU. Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Jameis Winston throwing to his very talented crop of receivers against the #88 ranked Auburn pass defense. Big Advantage Noles.
Bookmaker has Auburn +9 -110 and Florida State -9 -110 ATS. Moneyline is Auburn +255 and Florida State -310. Over/Under is 67 with over and under -110.
First, take the over-110. This is going to be a shootout much like all the other BCS games have been so far. Auburn has proven they can score on anybody. What they can’t do is stop people. With this in mind, take Florida State -9 -110 to win the game. Florida State is great on both sides of the ball and will get some stops on the Tigers.
If you are wondering about my accuracy picking bowls, so far I have made picks on nine games. Seven of them have been played and my record is 6-1. On BCS games I am 3-0 including picking UCF and Oklahoma. I am not guaranteeing I will be right, but you can decide for yourself.
