Auburn Tigers (13-0, 8-0 SEC) vs. Oregon Ducks (12-0, 9-0 Pac Ten)
BCS National Championship presented by Tostitos
January 10 - 8:00 pm - ESPN
Glendale, AZ
$17,000,000 payout per team
130 days after the first college football game of the year, we have arrived at the game in which every team dreams of playing. Unfortunately for the other 100+ teams, only Auburn and Oregon have made it this far.
The line on this game opened with Auburn 2.5 point favorites. It has since dropped a half point, but the Tigers are still favored in Vegas. The over/under is currently trending around 74 points, an absurd number, which goes to show that no one expects this to be a defensive struggle. This should help ESPN, whose ratings for the first 34 bowls haven't been what the network was expecting.
There will be more coverage later this week, but for more coverage, head over to SBN blogs Addicted to Quack (Oregon) or Track 'Em Tigers (Auburn).
All indications are Oregon vs. Auburn will be a high-scoring affair. Both offenses have looked unstoppable at times. The matchup features two of the nation's best players in Auburn quarterback Cam Newton and Oregon running back LaMichael James. The game may, however, come down to who can step up on defense. Oregon is ranked 14th in the nation in scoring defense. Auburn is 54th. -- Ted Miller