BCS CHAMPIONSHIP GAME PREVIEW: ALABAMA VS. TEXAS

BCS Championship: Alabama vs. Texas

January 7, 2010, Pasadena, California

ROCKBOXSPORTS.COM

Psychology: One gets the sense that Texas was playing tight throughout the regular season, any sense of joy they might have hoped to find being crushed under the weight of massive expectation. Anything less than a spot in the BCS Championship would have been taken as colossal failure. And they knew it. And they almost threw it all away in the Big 12 Championship game against Nebraska. But now they’ve made it to Pasadena, as expected, and, at long last, someone else is expected to win. The burden of being the favorite falls upon Alabama. The Crimson had the luxury of being nobody’s preseason pick and letting all the pressure fall on Florida. Now that they’ve slayed the dragon, they’re the ones getting all the heat. If anyone’s gonna be tight for this one, it should be Bama. Colt McCoy and company are free to go out and play the best game they’ve played all year. And if you think McCoy’s Heisman snub at the hands of Alabama’s Ingram is insignificant, keep in mind that the minute the award winner was announced McCoy texted a message to his offensive coordinator: “Game on.”  

What to Expect from Alabama: Running back Mark Ingram may have won the Heisman, and QB Greg McElroy may have won the SEC Championship Game MVP award, but the stars of this team are the offensive line and, most of all, the defense. The Crimson Tide were the most dominant defensive team in the nation, ranking first points allowed per game (11), second in yards allowed per game (241.7) and rushing yards allowed per game (77.9), and seventh in passing yards allowed per game (163.8). This team is loaded with NFL-caliber talent all around. They expect to pound teams into submission with the running game and stop them cold with defense. So far so good.

What to Expect from Texas: Despite never taking home the Heisman, QB Colt McCoy has had a legendary career. He is a true warrior, the winningest QB in big-time college football history, with 44 wins against 7 losses in four years as starter. He will not wilt against the immense defensive pressure that Alabama brings. At the same time, while he has an excellent possession receiver in Jordan Shipley, Texas struggles to stretch the field at times. This is problematic against an Alabama defense that can be nearly impossible to run on if they are not kept honest and somewhat off balance. The Longhorns stand a better chance of enjoying success on defense. They come in allowing a nation-leading 61.8 yards per game rushing along with a strong pass rush that has forced opposing QB’s into 20 interceptions.

Prediction: As noted above, Texas will come out sky high with McCoy extra-fired up to avenge his Heisman loss. But can they muster enough offensive production after struggling so badly against Nebraska in the Big 12 Championship game? They’ll need some luck and a mistake or two from McElroy to pull the upset. Expect a valiant effort, particularly on defense, but in the end it just won’t be enough in what may be an extremely low-scoring affair. Alabama 19-16.