BCS National Championship: On the hot seat
A discussion of ducks, tigers and horned frogs for the win
Every January, the summation of a season comes to its climax in the pitting of the BCS No. 1 team and the BCS No. 2 for the NCAA National Championship.
After Saturday’s action, the top two teams in the country were decided and the BCS championship all but officially balloted. Auburn’s steamrolling of South Carolina kept them in the No. 1 spot and Oregon outlasting Oregon State sealed their No. 2 spot.
In the hunt, TCU (12-0), Wisconsin (11-1) and Stanford (11-1) sweated out their Saturday and waited for the BCS rankings to be updated.
Monday night, Jan. 10 in Glendale, Ariz., No.1 Auburn, led by controversial Heisman contender Cam Newton, and the NCAA’s most prolific offense in No. 2 Oregon will most likely meet to decide the nation’s champion.
But is this a national championship the country deserves? Is this a championship that the teams deserve?
Not even close.
Sports pundits and analysts have been calling for Oregon’s national championship berth all season, and rightly so. Averaging more than 50 points a game, courtesy of a Rocky-like late-game tenacity, no one in the nation has been able to outpace the Duck’s offense.
Houston native quarterback Darron Thomas and Texarkana native LaMichael James have combined for 4,200 yards and 49 touchdowns this year.
Defensively, Oregon has pitched two shutouts and is led by senior linebacker Casey Matthews.
Sound familiar? Reference Green Bay Packers older brother Clay.
For all of the balance and weaponry of Oregon, Auburn makes up for in one-man shows, scandals, and narrowly escaped wins.
Cam Newton leads Auburn in both passing and rushing yards,and is as leading Auburn in touchdowns with 28 passing TD’s and 20 rushing. Running back Michael Dyer has five. Minus Cam Newton, Auburns offense is left with a sub-1,000 yard rusher and a lead receiver with only 9 touchdown catches.
No one can expect to outscore Oregon. Period. Twelve teams have tried to do it with 11 men. How can Auburn expect to do it with one?
Offense is out the window. What about Auburn’s defense? Can the Tiger’s D stop Oregon from putting up 50 so Newton has a chance?
Not statistically.
Auburn won five games decided by one touchdown or less, one of them to unranked Clemson in overtime.
Auburn’s Swiss cheese defense versus Oregon’s 50-a-game offense is a sword at a gun duel.
So who, if anyone, can compete with Oregon and give the country a legitimate national championship?
Texas Christian University. Yes, you read that right. The No. 3 TCU Horned Frogs.
The key to anyone hanging with Oregon long enough for viewers to keep watching past halftime is having a defense rigid enough to force Oregon to respect you.
TCU’s defense has two shutouts on their record and has held opponents to a touchdown or less in seven contests, one of which against a Utah team that at the time was No. 5 and 10-0.
TCU has the eighth ranked rushing attack in the nation, the fourth ranked scoring offense and the No.1 defense in the nation.
Who do you pit against the No. 1 offense? The No. 1 defense. Simple.
A one-man, no-defense Auburn team should never have gotten to the National Championship. A shutdown-defense, punch-you-in-the-mouth rushing attack is the only logical contender for Oregon and is the team that the nation deserves to see play.