College Football Rankings: Auburn-Oregon National Championship Game Ahead
Heading into November, we have only two AQ-conference undefeated teams left: Auburn and Oregon.
And it's not a surprise that the two best teams in the country have the two most explosive offenses in the country led by the two main Heisman front-runners: Auburn QB Cam Newton and Oregon RB LaMichael James.
As we head to the final weeks of the season, the microscope will be focused squarely on the only two automatic qualifier teams with undefeated records.
But how would a national championship between these two offensive juggernauts play out?
Here is a look at this potential national championship showdown.
1. Second-Year Coaches Strike Again
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Throughout the modern era, it seems as if most college coaches have their biggest breakout seasons in the second year of their tenure.
Two such coaches, Jim Tressel and Urban Meyer, won national championships in their second seasons at their current schools.
And in this matchup, we have two first-time coaches in their second season riding high in the BCS: Auburn's Gene Chizik, and Oregon's Chip Kelly.
Kelly has been to a BCS bowl game unlike Chizik, but Auburn has won a bowl game in his tenure, something Kelly failed to do in the Rose Bowl against Ohio State.
These two have been tremendous at taking their programs, which have had some success in this decade, and elevating them to very high levels so far in 2010.
Watching these two coaches go back and forth in Glendale might be the launching point of two spectacular coaching careers.
2. Can The Ducks Play Well Away From Autzen?
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It's tough to doubt how strong Oregon plays in the Autzen Zoo, arguably one of the toughest stadiums to play in in college football.
But the main question for Oregon is can they win a big game away from home?
Dating back to 2008, out of its last six losses, only one has come in Eugene. And four of those five road losses have been by double digits.
But so far, so good, as Oregon has won all four road games in 2010, and all by double figures.
Whether they can continue that trend this year is up to them.
3. The Zone Read vs. Gus Malzahn
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By now we all know about Oregon's zone read offense which is not only predicated on speed, but going at a high tempo.
But how soon should we forget that Auburn's hyperactive spread attack has been untouchable for most of the season.
Offensive guru Gus Malzahn, formerly at Tulsa, brought his spread rushing attack to Auburn and he has one excellent trigger-man in Cameron Newton to run the attack.
Both teams run strong offenses, but Oregon's attack is more predicated on speed while Newton, Michael Dyer, and the Auburn offense are not afraid to lay the lumber either.
The third and fourth-ranked rushing offenses, Oregon and Auburn respectively have averaged over 300 yards per game on the ground, which means the skies may be clear for most of the night.
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4. Does Auburn's Trip Through The SEC Make Them Tougher?
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When comparing the schedules of these two teams, the quality of high-level competition is almost day-and-night.
Oregon has only played one bowl eligible team so far this season, while the Tigers have faced off against four, including three in the nightmarishly-tough SEC West.
Whether or not the quality of competition has produced better teams at the end of the season is debatable.
But we know that Auburn is capable of fighting through adversity and making enough plays at the end of games to win.
Oregon hasn't needed to do that, but they will have to at some point this season to prove their worth as a championship contender.
5. The Magic Of Cameron Newton
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At the start of the season, few were picking Auburn to win the SEC West with Alabama and Ryan Mallett's Razorbacks being favored.
One Cameron Newton has come in and changed all of that, one dramatic comeback win after another.
With 30 touchdowns on the season, Newton has paced Auburn to one magical run in 2010. He will look to continue it, with all eyes being on the Iron Bowl in Tuscaloosa this season.
Even with the type of talent Chizik has acquired at Auburn, the energy and strength of Newton's performance is nothing short of remarkable.
6. Which Defense Will Do Something First?
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Even though both teams have spectacular offenses, we all know that defense wins championships. And for these teams, that's not such a good thing.
Auburn has been terrible against the pass, giving up over 240 yards per game through the air. And Oregon has struggled early on to stop offenses.
So essentially, whoever gets the first stop in this game could be able to take advantage of the matchup.
But where there are shortcomings, there are strengths, whether that be Auburn's stout run defense, or Oregon's second half shutdown ability.
Considering the strengths of both defenses, Auburn's unit gets an edge because their more physical front seven matches up better than Oregon's unit, which thrives on secondary play.
7. Oregon Offense Is Better Than In 2009
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After watching how great Oregon's offense was in 2009, it was hard to imagine how it would be without Jeremiah Masoli.
The answer: Masoli who? The Ducks' offense has blown away the production from the 2009 season, and new starting QB Darron Thomas is the reason why.
Masoli may have been a better runner, but Thomas' passing ability has kept defenses from stacking the box against the zone read, making LaMichael James and Kenjon Barner much more dangerous.
Through eight games, Thomas has a higher completion percentage, three more TD passes, and has only 300 yards less passing than Masoli did in all of 2009.
James and Barner are good in their own right.
Having Thomas slinging the ball down the field makes it so much more deadly.
8. Should We Believe The Heisman Curse?
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The Heisman Trophy may be the most prestigious individual award in college sports, but lately, it seems as if it has been a curse for the future.
In seven games where the Heisman winner has played for the national championship, the winner is only 2-5 on the biggest stage of college football, with big flops coming from Nebraska's Eric Crouch in 2001 and OSU's Troy Smith in 2006.
This could matter more this year because Oregon's LaMichael James and Auburn's Cameron Newton are the two favorites for the trophy and could face off for the title.
So is there a curse to worry about? Alabama's Mark Ingram broke the curse a year ago, but chances are good that whoever comes out on second in the Heisman will have a mental edge to hoist the crystal football in Glendale.
9. The SEC Stranglehold on Crystal Footballs
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For anyone who says the SEC was not the dominant conference of the last decade, consider how many championships the conference has won.
Five of the last ten national champions hail from the SEC, and Auburn, ironically, is one of the most legendary victims of the BCS as its undefeated 2004 squad was denied a title shot.
A win in the national championship game would exorcise those past demons.
On the other hand, Oregon has never in their history played for a national championship.
Considering the matchup, it would be difficult to find two programs with more contrasting histories in the title department.
10. Prediction
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Oregon had problems dealing with physical teams such as Boise State and Stanford in 2009. And Auburn just happens to fit into that category on both sides of the ball.
The Tigers' front seven would be a very tough matchup for the Ducks, with stars Nick Fairley and Josh Bynes to try and slow down the zone read attack.
On the other hand, Oregon's defense, led by DE Kenny Rowe and LB Casey Matthews, will have to be able to harness its speed to corral Cam Newton, Michael Dyer, and Gus Malzahn's offense.
But in the end, in a game full of explosive offenses and speed everywhere, it will be Auburn's physicality and their poise down the stretch that will give them the edge in this matchup.
Projected Score: Auburn 42 - Oregon 29
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