BCS Has Its Prizefighters: LaMichael James and Oregon vs Cam Newton and Auburn

The final week of the college football season has come and gone. You are not going to be on the edge of your seat when the voters polls come out and the BCS rankings come out. Tonight, the rankings will still read No. 1 Auburn and then No. 2 Oregon. The BCS and voters should probably send them thank-you notes because chaos would have erupted should Auburn have lost.

So now it begins: 36 days of waiting, talking, speculating and trash talk between fan bases. Thirty-six days for Cam Newton to hear about how great he is, 36 days for the media to talk about Oregon's unstoppable offense and 36 days for both coaches to keep their teams grounded and focused.

Yesterday in the SEC Championship, Auburn came out swinging and with the game still close, Newton launched a 55-yard Hail Mary that was answered for a score and at the same time burst South Carolina's bubble. Auburn took complete control in the second half and won going away.

At the same time, cross-town rivals were slugging it out in Oregon. The Ducks looked sloppy early, but their defense kept the Beavers in check long enough for the offense to wake up and put it into second gear. The Ducks broke the Beavers back when they faked a punt deep in their own zone and took it down to the Beavers' nine.

So now more then ever, the belief that offenses win games, defenses win championships will be put to the test. While most will focus on the numbers that these two teams can put on the scoreboard, the old saying will be right. This game will be decided by which teams defense can step up and make stops at critical times.

Will Oregon's defense be able to slow down Newton and the rest of the Tiger's offense? Yes, Oregon has terrific team speed and have the unique ability to rotate a lot of player in and out, keeping them fresh all game long. With the kind of offense Oregon has, the goal for the defense will be to just slow Newton down because completely stopping him has proved to be impossible.

Will the Tigers be able to contain the Ducks multitude of weapons? Maybe. Auburn has looked like a great defense at times but then also a inconsistent defense. The key to this matchup will not be the speed guys but the ability for the Oregon offensive line to create lanes and protect Darron Thomas.

One of the most interesting aspects of this game is the fact that both teams are known as being great second half teams. Both have shown the ability to overcome first half deficits and win going away.

Going into this game, all the talk will be about Cam Newton. The talk will be about his Heisman award, the way he hasn't been stopped all year and that Newton may be the greatest player to ever play. The media will gush and praise him all the way up until January 10.

Can Oregon lay low and stay focused? Can they stop Newton? Can the mantra of Win the Day help the Ducks win the biggest day in school history? We still have to wait 36 days. Still have to hold our breath and wonder what will happen, who will show up and who will make plays.