BCS National Championship Game: 10 Reasons Auburn Will Knock Off Oregon
We are now just over a week away from the BCS National Championship game in Arizona. This is the game that we have all been waiting for.
On the one side, there is the Oregon Ducks. The undefeated Pac-10 Champions have steamrolled over their opponents this season. They led the nation in scoring offense with nearly 51 points per game. They are the most explosive offensive unit in the country.
On the other side, the Auburn Tigers. The undefeated SEC Champions who have run right all over that conference this season. They averaged nearly 42 points per game and are led by the 2010 Heisman Trophy winner, quarterback Cam Newton. He is the most explosive player in the country and can beat you with his arms or his legs.
It should be an intense, high scoring affair between these two powerhouse teams.
With that said, here are 10 reasons that Auburn will knock off Oregon in the National Championship Game on January 10th.
The Offensive Dynamic
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Cam Newton gets most of the credit, and deservedly so; he has been phenomenal.
However, if you dig a little deeper into the Tigers' season, you will see that they have a number of playmakers. Running back Michael Dyer averages nearly six yards per carry on the season. They have a big play wide receiver in Darvin Adams, who averaged nearly 19 yards per catch and had seven touchdowns.
Auburn has as good an offense as anyone in the country.
Effecient Defense
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Neither one of these teams is elite defensively.
Auburn has given up a lot of points to some bad teams, including 26 vs Arkansas State, 31 vs Mississippi, and 34 vs Kentucky.
One thing that the Tigers can say that Auburn can't is that they played seven games against teams who ranked in the top 50 in the country in scoring.
They aren't great defensively, but they do just enough when they have to.
They Have the Best Playmaker on the Field
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Cam Newton is by far the most dynamic player in the country.
If you try and take away his legs, he can beat you with his arm. If you try to take away his arm, he can beat you with his legs.
Newton accounted for 49 total touchdowns this season. He creates something out of nothing multiple times in a game.
He does his best work when under pressure. Look for a big game from Newton against Oregon.
Gene Chizik is an Underrated Head Coach
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When it was first announced that Gene Chizik was going to be the head coach at Auburn fans, were a little less then welcoming.
However, in two short years, he has turned all the skeptics into believers.
He has won an SEC Championship in just his second year coaching in the conference. He has been able to get great recruits to come to Auburn, as evidenced by their fourth place ranking in the 2010 Rivals.com team rankings.
It helps having Cam Newton on your team, but don't dismiss the job that Chizik has done at Auburn.
Better To Be Lucky Than Good
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They say that it's better to be lucky than good. Auburn has been both all season long.
They have been very good this season. At the same time, when they needed a little bit of luck on their side, they got that too.
Of their 13 wins so far this season, six of them have come by eight points or less.
They had that miracle comeback against Alabama in theIron Bowl after trailing 24-0. Auburn appears to have lady luck on their side this season.
High Level of Competition
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As good as Oregon has looked this season, they have only played one team that will finish in the Top 25 (Stanford).
By contrast, Auburn has played five teams that are ranked in the Top 25 (South Carolina twice, Arkansas, LSU, and Alabama).
The SEC is the best conference in the country and has been for a long time. That will help Auburn's chances against Oregon in the National Championship Game.
Oregon is One Dimensional
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As good and explosive as Oregon's offense has been this season, they are basically a one-trick pony. They have to run the ball in order to be effective. If they do, they can put up 70 points per game. If they don't, they will struggle to score.
Case in point, Oregon "only" ran for 162 yards against Cal and scored 15 points. I say "only" because they average over 300 yards on the ground this season.
Auburn has proved that they can throw the ball or run the ball to beat you.
If the Tigers defense stops the run, this game will be over before it begins.
The Adversity Factor
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The best measure of a championship team is how they fare in the face of adversity.
Auburn has faced as much adversity as any undefeated team in recent memory.
They have played a number of close games and have won them all. They were down 24-0 against their biggest rival, Alabama, on 'Bama's home field and they came back to win.
Their quarterback has had to deal with off-field issues about whether or not his recruitment was legitimate or not.
This team has not wavered in the face of adversity all season long and they won't do it in the National Championship Game.
How Do You React When You Get Smacked Around?
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How does a team react when they are getting knocked around?
We have seen both of these teams get outplayed early on in the game and still win in the end.
For Oregon, their test came against Stanford when they were down 21-3 very early in the game. They put the clamps down on defense and the offense exploded for 49 points from that point to win 52-31.
Auburn has had a number of games where they were down but came back to win in the end. Obviously, the most notable game is the Alabama game. They beat Clemson in overtime, and they needed a last second field goal to defeat Kentucky.
Auburn has been smacked around more, and yet, they are still sitting here undefeated. They can win any game, no matter the situation.
It's Destiny
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This game looks a lot like the Texas-USC National Championship Game.
Oregon is the high-powered, high-flying offense that could score points with anyone in the country. Their defense had inflated numbers because the conference is so weak, making them appear better then they actually are.
Auburn has the multi-dimensional quarterback who is surrounded by a number of really solid playmakers like Michael Dyer and Darvin Adams. They played in the best conference in the country and made it through the year undefeated.
Auburn can do what it takes to keep this Oregon offense under control. The Ducks don't have anyone who can stop Cam Newton. That's not a knock on Oregon either, because nobody has a player who can stop him.
