No. 25 Auburn to the Chick-Fil-a Bowl: A Guide to the Matchup vs. Virginia

The 7-5 (4-4 SEC) No. 25 Auburn Tigers will square off with the 8-4 (5-3 ACC) Virginia Cavaliers in the 2011 Chick-fil-A Bowl in Atlanta. The Tigers are looking to finish a treacherous season with a big win to close the season on a high note.

The Cavaliers started the season 2-2, making it to three wins by barely defeating the Idaho Vandals in overtime in the first weekend of October. The Cavaliers went on to win six of their last eight games pushing them into bowl eligibility.

Looking ahead to the final game of the season for the Tigers and Cavaliers, here's the guide to the Chick-fil-A Bowl this coming December 31st. 

Chick-fil-A Bowl Details

The Chick-fil-A Bowl is set to play on New Year’s Eve at 7:30 p.m. ET in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.

The Auburn Tigers will face off against the Virginia Cavaliers for only the third time in the teams' rich histories.

The previous games were split with the Tigers winning in 1997 and the Cavaliers being victorious in the 1998 season.

This looks to be a great matchup for the Bowl, and it saves Auburn fans some stress as a Clemson loss in the ACC title game would have likely put the Clemson Tigers against the Auburn Tigers for the third time in 18 months as the Tigers open up against each other to start the 2012 season.

The 2011 payout figures for each conference were as follows:

ACC: $ 3,967,500

SEC: $ 2,932,500

The game will be televised by ESPN.

Auburn’s Strength

Auburn has had issues with consistency this season as they have battled to earn the wins that they have. Of the five losses that the Tigers have had this year, four have come on the road. The Tigers have one consistent strength that appears in their wins but becomes neutralized in their losses—the rushing attack.

Michael Dyer has carried the ball 242 times for 1,242 yards this season and 10 touchdowns. Auburn’s ability to get Dyer the ball has directly correlated with Auburn’s success this season.

Onterio McCalebb has also been a large part of the Auburn ground game success as he has added another 102 carries and 532 yards on the ground.

If Auburn expects to earn a win over the Cavaliers, they have to feed Dyer carries consistently. There haven’t been many bright spots for the Tigers on either side of the ball, but when Dyer gets more than 20 carries, the Tigers tend to like the results. 

Virginia’s Strength

Virginia has not been very powerful offensively this season, but the defense has ruled the day for the Cavaliers' success.

The Cavaliers have one of the better front seven defensive lineups in the ACC. The Cavs have won their biggest games of the season relying heavily on the defense to hold strong.

As far as a game matchup is concerned, this is one of the better bowl matchups of the season.

The Cavaliers and Tigers will match strength against strength in Atlanta.

Auburn’s Weakness

The Tigers have faced a wealth of adversity on both sides of the ball this season, but narrowing down all of the issues they have faced to come up with one distinct issue isn’t too difficult. The Tigers' biggest weakness has been the offensive line play.

The Tigers have tried to work around the terrible play of the offensive line all season, and against some teams, they have been able to cover up the terrible inconsistency. Against better competition however, if has been difficult for Auburn to move the football.

The Cavaliers will bring a great front seven to the game which will be a huge challenge for the Tigers in this game. 

Virginia’s Weaknesses

Virginia’s biggest weakness this fall has been their inability to stay consistent on offense.

Michael Rocco is the Cavaliers' sophomore starting quarterback that has been off and on as the season has progressed. The Cavaliers have been able to run the ball pretty consistently, but they will need more than a ground game to beat Auburn.

Rocco will likely be forced to make plays in the game, and having 11 interceptions on the season shows that he doesn’t always make the best decisions with the football.

Rocco has only made it two games in a row this season without an interception, and the Tigers are 17-0 under Chizik when they pull a pick out of the air. Rocco is the key for Auburn’s defense to exploit. 

How the Tigers Landed the Chick-Fil-a Bowl

Auburn has played relatively inconsistent throughout the season. As the Tigers were looking to make a run for a bowl game, the Chick-fil-A became a clear option as the Tigers began to wind the season down to a close.

The Tigers fourth in the SEC West and are the lowest of the six top-25 ranked SEC teams. Finishing with a 7-5 regular-season record, the Tigers were assured a bowl berth. The only other options that seemed viable for the Tigers was the Gator Bowl, but the Florida-based bowl pulled the Florida Gators towards their contest.

Auburn has played decent at times, while looking terrible at others. The Tigers have to step up their game this bowl season if they expect to walk away Chick-fil-A champions.

How the Cavaliers Landed the Chick-fil-A Bowl

The ACC was able to sneak the Virginia Tech Hokies into the BCS with an at-large bid during bowl selection this weekend.

It was a surprise to most of the college football community, the Cavaliers were able to earn a berth for the ACC into the Atlanta showdown with the Tigers.

The Cavaliers may not have had an overly consistent season, but the Cavaliers match up well against the Tigers.

Auburn’s Key Player

Michael Dyer will be the player to watch for the Tigers this game. Dyer will need to have over 20 carries if the Tigers want to be successful and find space for other avenues offensively.

Look for the Tigers to feed Dyer on a multitude of runs in various different situations throughout the game. The more production the Tigers get from the backfield, the better as this game will not be an easy win for Auburn.

Virginia’s Key Player

Perry Jones is the running equivalent to Michael Dyer in the Cavaliers offense.

The Cavaliers have relied heavily on their rushing attack this season to control the clock and produce consistent yardage while their defense kept opposing offenses at bay.

Jones has only had three games over 100 yards rushing, but he has also caught a pass in all but two games this season. Both games that Perry didn’t catch a pass, the Cavaliers lost.

The Cavs rely on getting Perry the ball in the passing game more than most realize as he has caught 41 passes so far this season for 416 total yards.

Predictions

The Virginia Cavaliers will make it to their first bowl appearance since the 2007 season. Virginia climbed into the top four inside the ACC after a shaky start to the season that included a loss to the Southern Miss Golden Eagles.

The Auburn Tigers overachieved most pundits’ expectations by simply making it to a bowl game this fall. The Tigers will be traveling to their third consecutive bowl game under coach Gene Chizik.

With Virginia looking to force Auburn into passing situations, the Tigers will need to find ways to open the run no matter how the Cavaliers attack the line of scrimmage. If the Auburn offense can find success on the ground, they will likely make it to a win.

Virginia will be a challenge, but the overall talent that Auburn has at the skill positions and the inconsistency of the Cavaliers offense are signs that point towards an Auburn victory.

Look for this game to ride close into the fourth as the Tigers eventually take over the game late in the fourth quarter.

Final Score: Auburn 24 Virginia 14