BCS Championship 2012: Alabama Set to Shock the Nation Against LSU

With 34 of the 35 bowl games set to be in the books come Monday, the No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide (11-1) and No. 1 LSU Tigers (13-0) will meet in the Allstate National Championship game to finish off this bowl season and determine the nation's top dog.

Yet despite the undefeated season for these LSU Tigers, it will undoubtedly be the Crimson Tide holding up the trophy when it's all said and done.

Arguably the biggest difference-maker in this contest will be Crimson Tide running back Trent Richardson. With a whopping nine 100-yard games this season, Richardson is easily the strongest running back the Tigers will have faced all season.

Since the 9-6 OT loss to LSU in early November, Richardson has posted games of 127, 175 and 203 yards. In those three games, Richardson had a combined five touchdowns, and he has easily been the hottest running back in the nation.

Talk about some numbers.

In the previous meeting with LSU, Richardson had himself a solid performance. Richardson would record a whopping 169 total yards, picking up 89 of them on the ground and 80 receiving.

The other key to a Crimson Tide victory will be the fact that this was a team that outplayed the Tigers in the previous meeting in spite of losing the game.

Missed scoring opportunities cost this team what should have been a hands-down victory for the Crimson Tide, as Alabama missed four field goals in what was a three-point loss. This was a game that the Crimson Tide had the advantage in first downs, total yards, third-down conversions and time of possession.

An inability to score points after putting together solid drives is what cost this team a win and the No. 1 ranking in the nation.

In what should be a battle of epic proportions in the BCS title game, the Crimson Tide will come out on top with top-notch play from RB Richardson and the top-ranked defense in the nation in points allowed (8.8 per contest).