BCS National Championship 2012: Betting Predictions for Alabama vs. LSU

I was in class today and our artsy professor asked us if anyone knew what game was tonight. Every guy muttered under their breath the answer, but then a remarkable surprise happened.

Arguably the most attractive girl in the room raised her hand, and in her greatest cheerleader voice said, "The Super Bowl!" While I'll give her credit for having the audacity to answer a question from the professor that really wasn't directed at anyone in particular, the correct answer would be the BCS National Championship Game.

LSU vs. Alabama...who you got!? If you're looking to make some money off of your friends and want some predictions against the spread, I got you.

The Safe Bet: Take the Under (41.5) (sportsbooks.com)

It is an obvious statement that both of these teams know how to score, and both have offensive threats that we will be seeing on Sundays next year. However, it is hard to forget that the last time these two teams met there was a total of 15 points, and that game went into overtime.

With that said, the only other game that LSU has played in this year that had a total score of under 42 points was when they defeated (then the 25th-ranked team in the nation) Mississippi State on September 15th by a score of 19-6.  

The Educated Bet: LSU +2.5 (sportsbooks.com)

That's not a typo—the No. 1 team in the nation is actually an underdog right now. The spread of this game has been going back and forth between who is favored and by how much, but as of right now, Sportsbooks has LSU as a 2.5-point underdog.

Here is the educated theory on this one: They won the meeting between these two teams on November 5th.

Some sites have Alabama as the underdog, while other sites, like Bovada, have the game as straight up.

The Ballsy Bet: Parlay, LSU (+110) and Under (41.5)

If you want to get a little bit crazy, take LSU straight up, and parlay it with the under. I think that beating Alabama twice in one year is going to be tough, but if anyone is going to do it, it's the Tigers.

The Really Weird Bet: Trent Richardson Gets More Than 34.5 Receiving Yards

When sifting through some of the player prop bets on Bovada, this is the one that jumped out the most to me. When these two teams met in November, Richardson had 80 receiving yards (including one that went for 36 yards).

The "I've Had Eight Beers and Am in a Good Mood" Bet: Dee Milliner Has an Interception

Bovada is giving 4-to-1 odds if Milliner has an interception in this game. He returned one for a touchdown in Alabama's last game against Auburn, so hey...it could happen.

Final Prediction: LSU 20, Alabama 17

The game is in Louisiana, but this one should be one hell of a battle. The way this bowl season has gone though, if I was a kicker on either side I would be contacting Brendan Gibbons right now as to how to relax.