BCS Rankings 2010: Breaking Down an Auburn-Boise St. National Championship
As the season winds to a close, it is time for speculation about who is going to play for the National Championship.
With Auburn in the driver's seat to play for the National Championship and Boise St. only an upset or two away from falling into the No. 2 spot, it is becoming a possibility that these two teams could meet for all the marbles.
If these two teams did square off, it would finally be a chance for Boise St. to prove they belong with the big boys.
Could they prove themselves in the biggest of all games?
Here is how a breakdown of the potential National Championship.
Quarterback
1 of 10
Boise St. quarterback Kellen Moore is as experienced a quarterback as there is in the country. He has played in his fair share of big games and has been virtually unbeatable as a starter.
However, Auburn quarterback Cameron Newton is far and away the best player in college football this season.
Newton is the front runner to win the Heisman Trophy and has already totaled 30 touchdowns. Moore has been impressive as always, but not to the extent of Newton.
Advantage: Auburn
Running Back
2 of 10
Boise St. rarely runs the ball, but when they do, little man Doug Martin is averaging over seven yards per carry.
Auburn counters with its one-two punch of Michael Dyer and Onterio McCalebb. The combination has produced nine touchdowns and nearly 1,300 yards on only 188 carries.
The Broncos tend to run more against tougher opponents, possibly to keep their defense off the field. Martin would certainly get 20 carries in this one to keep the potent Auburn offense off the field.
The Boise St. defense, however, would have no chance of stopping Auburn's duo, who could have a field day in this one.
Advantage: Auburn
Wide Receiver
3 of 10
Boise St. loves to air the ball out and big play receiver Titus Young is the most talented wideout on either of these two teams.
Young is averaging nearly 18 yards per reception and has 650 yards on the season. Young is joined by Austin Pettis, who has five touchdowns on the year.
Auburn counters with Darvin Adams, Terrell Zachary and Emory Blake. This trio will receive most of the balls thrown when Cameron Newton is not running wild.
Advantage: Boise St.
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
The Auburn offensive line is experienced and, judging by the running prowess of Cameron Newton, is having quite a season.
With four starters back from last season, this group has been quite impressive as far as run blocking is concerned. When the Tigers want to run the ball, nobody is going to stop them.
The Boise St. group has been impressive as well. Quarterback Kellen Moore has had ample time to throw the ball. These starters have been together for a while, having all started last season.
Advantage: Auburn
Defensive Line
5 of 10
The Tigers defensive line is a very solid group, led by the emergence of Nick Fairley. Redshirt freshman Nosa Eguae has stepped into the starting role in recent weeks and has been a pleasant surprise for Auburn.
They rank near the top in the country in run defense and have been consistent all season.
Boise St. is anchored by defensive ends Ryan Winterswyk and Shea McClellin. In the middle, tackles Michael Atkinson and Ricky Tjong-A-Tjoe have been extremely impressive.
This group is much more experienced than the Auburn bunch, but does not have quite the talent the Tigers possess.
Advantage: Auburn
Linebacker
6 of 10
Like all their other positions, Boise St. is experienced at linebacker. The Broncos currently rank third in the country in total defense and one of the keys to their success has been the linebackers.
Aaron Tevis and Byron Hout have been impressive so far this season as the Broncos generally only have two linebackers on the field.
Auburn is led by seniors Craig Stevens and Josh Bynes, who are the only two experienced players at that position.
Advantage: Boise St.
Secondary
7 of 10
With three seniors and one junior starting in the secondary, defensive back is a position where Auburn can match Boise St. in experience.
A few injuries and some sub par play have left many to regard this Auburn secondary as the weak link on the team.
They have been picked apart by Ryan Mallett and his backup Tyler Wilson, and are ranked as one of the worst secondaries in the country.
Boise St., on the other hand, has been impressive the entire way and clearly has the advantage in this matchup.
Advantage: Boise St.
Special Teams
8 of 10
Boise St. has had their fair share of blunders on special teams, particularly in the Oregon St. game, but they were able to overcome that with ease.
Auburn has been solid on special teams and while these two teams are pretty closely matched, this could be one of the game changers.
Advantage: Auburn
Coaching
9 of 10
Auburn head coach Gene Chizik has been superb since he arrived at Auburn and this year especially, he has shined.
Boise St. head coach Chris Petersen nearly always comes out on top in the big game and certainly knows how to game plan.
Even though Chizik coaches in the SEC, Petersen has a lot of big game BCS experience and that could prove beneficial in this one.
Advantage: Boise St.
Outcome
10 of 10
This potential National Championship matchup has all the makings of being a classic battle.
Auburn's talent on offense goes up against the poise and experience of Boise St.
Many college football fans wouldn't give Boise St. a chance, but they always seem to come up big when the spotlight is on them.
In the end though, the Auburn Tigers just have a little too much talent for the Boise St. Broncos.
Final Score: Auburn 42 Boise St. 35
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